Dib Is Sick
by PAT THE KITSUNE
Summary: Confined to his bed, Dib finds comfort in the one being he never expected to be there for him. When his condition takes a turn for the worse, however, he must come to terms with his feelings for his old foe in order to defeat this new foe inside him. ZADR
1. Chapter 1

A/N: What is this? A new fic? o3o Yes. It's true. I've begun another one, this time with Sassafrass002 though. Now, don't start freaking out, people. I haven't forgotten about ZO. I'm just waiting for school to start back up again before I resume posting. (I start Tuesday and plan to update on my days off: Wednesdays and Fridays) So just be patient. This new fic, however, I'm hoping to keep updated as the updates come on DA. We just posted the first chapter there, so here's the first chapter for here. Unlike ZO, I may NOT actually answer reviews this time around though. As much as we appreciate them, I just don't have the time to constantly be answering them. So unless one of you asks a question or something, don't expect me to reply back in the actual body of the story. I'd like to be able to just come on here and update quickly. That's not to say I'll stop responding to reviews on ZO. Only this story will be without that feature, unless Sass feels like coming on here to respond to you guys herself (something I highly doubt given how busy she is.) So just keep in mind that we really appreciate your guys' comments, even if we don't necessarily always respond back. That said, allow me to go ahead and get this first chapter posted. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 1: Gay?

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters.

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

A cough filled the silence, then another one, and another as Dib fought to gain back control. He'd been sick for well over a week now and out of school long enough for a certain someone to notice his absence. But he didn't care. All he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep until he felt a little less like he was going to die. Easier said than done when he couldn't stop coughing.

Letting out a groan, he turned over onto his side in his bed. "I hate being sick." he grumbled into his pillow as he cuddled up with an oddly familiar looking alien doll. He had come across it a few days before he had fallen sick. An old Zim doll he had made a few years back when attempting to use his knowledge of the paranormal as a means of defeating Zim. To say the very least, his attempts at creating a successful voodoo doll had failed. But he kept the doll despite. Something about it was soothing to him and he hugged it close as a sort of security blanket now.

Meanwhile, a few blocks down the street, a certain green alien trudged his way to Dib's house, dragging along his idiot sidekick, Gir.

"Hurry up, Gir. We haven't got all day." he said as he moodily made his way onto Membrane property, more than a little annoyed that Dib had been out of skool for so long now. Exactly what was the human plotting anyways? There must be some reason he had missed so much school the past week and a half!

Making his way to right beneath the human's window, he ordered Gir to give him a lift so he could see for himself what the human had been doing this whole time. Plotting against him, surely.

Activating the jets in his legs, the disguised android waited for Zim to climb aboard before ascending to the window connected to Dib's room.

"Alright, Gir. Stop." Zim said, once they were high enough for him to get a good look inside of the boy's room. He pressed his hands and face up to the window, peering inside and almost instantly locating the Dib-monkey.

"Eh? Sleeping?" he gazed at the form in bed that could only be Dib. But why would the human be sleeping when he was quite obviously plotting this planet's downfall? Pressing just a little bit closer, he squinted his eyes to see inside the room better. The human was surrounded by magazines, tissue boxes, and what looked to be...a replica of him?

Zim pulled away from the window momentarily to rub his eyes before looking back in.

Dib shifted, hugging the Zim doll closer.

What kind of trick was this? Who was the human trying to fool? Only ONE Zim could exist and he didn't understand why the human was getting so comfortable with this fake!

"DIB-MONKEY! GIVE HUGS TO THE REAL ZIM! Not this pathetic fake Zim!"

Snapping awake, Dib just about swallowed his own tongue before looking out the window at where the voice had come from. "Where did you come from?" he asked, sitting up in the bed to stare at the floating Irken outside of his bedroom window.

"I was...Ummm...Uh..."

"HE WUZ WATCHIN YOU FROM THE WINDOWS!"

Dib sent the Irken an annoyed look at Gir's outburst. "So you mean you were stalking me..." he said, not finding that nearly as surprising as he probably should have.

"YEAH!'

Zim's face instantly turned from disgusted to frantic when Gir said that. "Nooo! Zim was not stalking you! Zim was watching you!" he protested, going to push open the window so both he and Gir could climb into the room. No point hovering outside when the human had already seen them, after all.

Picking up the Zim doll from the floor, Gir held it up for Zim to see. "Hey, Mastah! I found a lil you! I'm gonna call him squishy!" The disguised android hugged the doll close.

Grabbing the Zim doll from Gir, Dib blushed and hid it under his pillow before pulling the covers up over his head. "Watching and stalking are the same thing!" he yelled from beneath the covers.

"Are not! There is a HUGE difference! So huge it is! And you should be honored that ZIM would watch you...Hey...Why do you have a replica of me, anyhow?"

Stiffening up at that question, Dib pulled the doll under the blanket with him before then hiding under the pillow he had previously been keeping it under. "I...don't know what you're talking about..." he said, so horribly embarrassed that Zim had caught him cuddling that doll.

"Yes, you do! You're hiding it under the covers!" Zim sat on Dib and rummaged around for it. "Where is it?" he demanded when he couldn't locate it on his own.

Dib clutched it to his chest where Zim couldn't get it. "Get off of me!" he tried to buck Zim off but the other wouldn't budge.

"C'mon, Dib-Monkey! Gimme! Give it to Zim!"

Professor Membrane walked in right as Zim said that.

Making a cheerful squeak, Gir pointed at the professor, causing both Zim and Dib to turn around and look at him, horrified.

"Dad! It's not what you think!" Dib pushed Zim off of him and onto the ground.

"Hey!" Zim pouted up at Dib.

"Ah...Umm...Okay then, son. I see you've brought your little foreign friend over and are...Umm...Playing some kind of game. Well, call me if you need anything." the professor said before walking away, looking worried.

Dib stared after him with a still horrified look on his face before bringing his hands up to hide his face in.

Zim, meanwhile, pointed angrily at Dib. "Why did you push Zim onto the floor?" he demanded, still pouting up at the other.

"I told you to get off of me! Now my dad probably thinks I'm gay because of you, you jerk!" Dib hid his face away in a pillow.

"...Gay?... What is this "gay" of which you speak? Tell to Zim!"

Dib flushed a deep red color. "Are you kidding me? You really don't know what gay means?" he said before noticing the blank look on Zim's face. "It's when two guys like each other, okay?" he said before returning to hiding his face in his pillow.

"...That's it?...But you clearly like Zim as you have a doll of me! Therefore you must be 'gay'" he nodded. "Gay for ZIM!"

Dib flushed an even darker shade of red. "That's a lie! I don't like you! In fact, I hate you! I hate everything about you! And besides, I don't mean "like" like THAT! I mean "like" as in two guys wanting to sleep together, which I would NEVER do with you...Or anyone for that matter!"

Zim gasped. "You mean that DISGUSTING thing that those humans did in that sex ed video Ms. Bitters showed the class? But with just men?" he shuddered. "Zim would NEVER let YOU do such things to him!"

"Yes, you idiot! And why would I want to do any of THAT to YOU?" Dib shuddered himself. "I can't even stand being in the same room with you for more than a minute!"

"But you're in the same room with mini-Zim here." Zim said, holding up the plushie that he got when Dib wasn't looking. "So you must like Zim."

"Hey! Give that back!" Dib grabbed it from Zim, his face on fire. "It's...Ummm...It's a voodoo doll! I poke at it with needles in hopes that your insides will burst...or something..." he hid it back under his pillow. "I don't like you...You piss me off whenever I'm anywhere near you..." he said before turning over in bed so he was no longer facing Zim, a pout on his face.

"VOODOOO? Nooo! Zim does not want his insides to explode!" he exclaimed, getting all panicky but then pausing suddenly. "Hey...Why have you gone all red, Dib-stink?"

"Because I'm sick, moron!" Dib snapped, getting frustrated with all of Zim's questions and hiding under the covers.

"But you weren't as red before!" Zim said, getting near Dib to try and see his face better. "Now you look worse! You must be really sick!" he said, an almost worried look coming to his face.

A/N: And there you have it. Like ZO, these chapters will be fairly short. This first one, however, is a bit longer due to the intro I had to come up with for it. Future chapters will be much shorter. So don't expect much from us in the length department. I can assure you all though that this is a fairly long RP. Been working on it since 2009. So you can at least expect this to be a fairly long story that's full of fluff and humor. We don't want to receive any negative comments about how OOC both Zim and Dib are in this story. We already know they are. To our defense, this story is supposed to be OOC. Preserves the cuteness we were going for in it. Any and all negative comments we get WILL be flagged as spam. So if you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all. We're not looking for criticism either. This story is written purely for fun. So don't even bother trying to offer advice on any of it. We're not going to change things just because one of you doesn't like it. That said, we leave you with this first chapter of Dib Is Sick. For more information on what sparked this RP, please see my profile page as I'll have a link both to the picture that inspired us to write this as well as the preview image Sass made for Chapter 1. We hope you all enjoy. ^^


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright. So it's been about a week since I last updated. I suppose I owe you guys a chapter or two. I'll go ahead and get them posted now. No author's note on Chapter 3. Just gonna post Chapters 2 and 3 really quickly here then get to work ficafying Chapter 4 for another day. Much love and appreciation to those who reviewed, faved, or added the story to your story alert lists. We're glad to hear you guys are enjoying it so far. And since we didn't receive any pressing questions that can't be answered by me just updating the story, there will be no responses to reviews this chapter. Sorry guys. I've got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. So here's Chapter 2. We hope you guys enjoy. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 2: Don't Go

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters.

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Flailing at Zim to make him get away, Dib pulled the covers even tighter around himself. "Just...leave me alone!" he sniffled wetly and refused to come out from under the blankets.

"Why are you acting so strangely, human?" Zim asked, unsure why he suddenly felt guilty. "Does this illness cause sadness, too?" he asked, able to tell Dib was crying beneath the covers.

"I'm not acting strangely! You're just...such a jerk...and it's giving me a headache..." Dib tried to hide even farther under the covers where Zim couldn't get to him.

"But Zim has done nothing wrong! You should feel happy to be in my AMAZING presence! Not sad!" Zim pulled on the covers a little to see Dib.

Dib tugged back to keep Zim from seeing him. "Stop it! Your so-called AMAZING presence is making me sick! Not happy!" he yelled, growing more and more frustrated by the minute.

"C'mon Diiiib!" Zim stubbornly pulled at the covers again, managing to pull them away.

Hiding his face in his pillow, Dib inhaled shakily. "I told you to leave me alone, you jerk!" he threw back at the other.

Taking a seat near Dib, Zim tilted his head to the side, confused. "You're not behaving like yourself at all, Dib. The Dib-worm I know would never cry...Has Zim shamed you that badly in front of your parent?" he asked, not understanding why Dib was getting so upset.

Dib wiped at his eyes. "I'm not crying...I just...got something in my eyes...And you didn't exactly help improve the already crappy relationship I have with my dad!" he snapped at the Irken.

"Why?...Is this "gay" thing that you spoke of shameful amongst humans?"

"What the hell do you think? And I already told you...I'm not gay...I'm not...It's just not normal...and I already get made fun of on a regular basis..." Dib sniffled wetly again before hiding his face in his knees.

"Hmph! Humans are so weird. Anything that is different they seem to fear. Perhaps it is because you are more intelligent than the rest you get classed as abnormal and made fun of. Intelligence is a rare thing in your species after all."

"Shut up! I'm not abnormal! They just make fun of me because they know I'm the only one who won't fight back."

"But you always fight back with Zim! Why don't you fight back with them? They're only stupid little earth children!"

"Because they're not out to kill me like you are!"

"Heh...Oh yea...WELL, letting them treat you like that is pitiful, Dib! You should show them that you are better than them! Zim never lets anyone tell him that they are better!"

Dib pulled back away from Zim with his head bowed. "Go away...I don't even know why I'm having this conversation with you to begin with...Just go away and leave me alone. Mind your own business. I'm not in the mood to talk about this any longer. I just want to go back to bed." he said in a broken voice.

"Fine...Very well, human. I will stay no longer to increase your misery." Zim stood. "C'mon, Gir!" he said to Gir who had been asleep on the floor.

Standing up, Gir looked up at Dib sadly. Not really helping, he pulled a tissue out of a tissue box and placed it on Dib's lap before walking towards the window.

Zim looked over at Dib one more time, looking a little concerned still but turning to leave nonetheless.

Lifting his head, Dib watched as Zim left just to break down and sob to himself as soon as the Irken was no longer in sight.

Standing underneath the window after Gir set them both onto the ground, Zim looked up at the window, sensing Dib's sorrow and wondering why he felt so horrible about it, almost as if he felt he should do something but was scared it may worsen the situation.

Wiping at his eyes, Dib sniffled before lying down to hide his face away in a pillow so he could go back to sleep.

Just about to walk away, Zim felt Gir grab hold of one of his legs. "Gir! Get off!" he tried to kick the android off so he could start walking home.

"But the big head boy is saaad! U jus gunna leaves him?" Gir sobbed like a moron.

"Yes! Now release Zim! Before he throws a bucket of water over me or something!"

"But, Mastah! He cry'n still! Dun leave him all alone!" Gir let go of Zim's leg to hover back up towards the window to peek in.

Lying in bed, Dib wiped his tears with a blanket just to have them replaced with even more tears as he hugged the Zim doll even closer.

"GIR! Come back here now! OBEY YOUR MASTER!"

Gir saw Dib hugging the plushy and crying. "Awww! Dis is too saaad!" he opened the window and flew in, landing on Dib.

"GIR! NOOOO!" Zim cringed.

Jumping when Gir landed on him, Dib let out a startled sound. "Gir! What are you doing here? I thought you and Zim went home already!" he stiffened up suddenly and hid the Zim doll under his pillow again. He then looked around to make sure nobody else was in the room with them. "Gir...Go home...Go home and don't tell Zim about any of this, got it?" he said, hoping the other hadn't heard him crying from outside his room.

A/N: And there you have it. I'll just quickly post this then get on to Chapter 3. So no complaining about where we leave you guys off. I'm giving you two chapters at once. Just be thankful for that. Then I'll see what I can do about ZO. If I'm awake enough, I'll try to get myself to sit down and respond to reviews tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 3: Emotions

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters.

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Sobbing uncontrollably, Gir clung to Dib tightly, not wanting to leave yet. "But you're all saaad! I knows it! You can't be all alone and be sad! You make my masta sad too!" he whimpered to the boy as he tried to get the android off of him.

"Gir! Come back here! Pleeease?"

"No, Gir! I'll be fine! But you need to-" Dib stopped talking and stiffened up when he heard Zim's voice from outside. Then, pulling the blanket back up over his head, he groaned. "He was out there the whole time, wasn't he, Gir! He probably heard everything, and now I'm just the biggest fool ever, aren't I? Gir, get out of here! I just want to be left alone right now!" he let out another quiet sob into his blanket as he was too embarrassed to come out and face Zim any time soon.

"Awww...But he likes you! He jus wanna be nice to Dib! Cuz he's not very nice much! You jus gotta stop bein all sad an gives him a chance...YEE!"

"If he liked me so much then he wouldn't be trying to kill me each and every week! Now, please, Gir! Just get out! I don't want to talk to him, and I don't want to talk to anybody else about this! I don't want any of your pity! I just want to sleep and forget any of this even happened!"

"He only do it cuz he wants to be around the big head boi! Last time you leaves him alone he jus lay on da couch all day watchin TV...I seen it! I missed the couch so bad!"

"What are you doing in there, GIR?"

Getting frustrated with the fact that Gir wouldn't leave, Dib pushed the covers away and grabbed Gir before walking over to the window to look down at Zim with tearful, angry eyes. "I already told you I have a headache and want you to leave, so take Gir and go home already, Zim!" he threw the SIR unit at him angrily before slamming the window shut and closing the curtains so they couldn't see inside his room any longer. Then, returning to his bed holding his head, Dib whimpered in pain to himself. "That jerk...Refusing to leave me alone when I'm already sick enough as it is...Just who the hell does he think he is, anyways?" he sniffled, going to wipe his eyes.

Tumbling over when Gir landed right on his head, Zim sat up with a groan. "OWW!" he rubbed his head. "Nice going, GIR! You just had to go and make the situation ten times worse, didn't you!" he scowled down at his disguised minion.

Gir looked up at his master tearfully. "I was just tryin to make him all crazeh like agen...But he done throw me onto masters head! S'bad! Why he be so mean?" he asked, his lower lip quivering.

"Oh tsh, I dunno, Gir. Humans and their 'emotions,' I guess."

Meanwhile, back inside Dib's room, Dib laid down, feeling even sicker than before as he fell asleep coughing and shivering. "Zim...You jerk..." he mumbled in his sleep before curling in on himself even more. "Don't leave me...I don't want to be left all alone again...Not again..." he whimpered to himself and shifted in his sleep.

Starting to walk away, Zim turned to look at Gir, still sniveling. "What's wrong with you now?" he nearly snapped.

"He still saaaad!"

"I don't care. If he wants to whine pathetically then let him! Besides, the idiot just threw you out a window!"

"Mmmyeah, but you get all mad wen u upset! U jus gotta go makes him happeh!"

"... No..."

"Nyawww! C'maaan!" Gir grabbed Zim and zoomed up to Dib's window as Zim struggled to pull free.

"GIR! NOOO! HE'S GONNA HURT ZIIIIM!" Zim rolled into Dib's room as Gir waved at him from the window after he had closed it from the outside. "Gir! Lemme out!" he whispered angrily, Dib still asleep.

Coughing into the covers, Dib shifted in bed again onto his stomach, causing Zim to jump a bit. Then, scrunching up his face, Dib began mumbling in his sleep again. "Mmmm...Zim...It hurts...Everything hurts...Please don't leave me...Please...I'm sorry..." he coughed into his covers some more and let out a small pained noise before his breathing quickened. "Make it stop! Please!" he turned back over onto his back, practically hidden underneath the covers now as his breathing returned back to normal.

Looking confused, Zim cautiously approached Dib and pulled some of the covers back a little to see him better. He winced.

Letting out a small whimper in his sleep, Dib brought up his arms to hug himself as he began shivering. "Zim...I can't breathe...Everything hurts..." he mumbled, a few tears slipping down his cheeks.

Looking at the human worried now, Zim climbed onto the bed to sit near and lean over Dib. "Dib?" he tilted his head to the side slightly.

Struggling in his sleep a bit, Dib tossed his head left and right. "Zim! Make it stop! It hurts!" he rasped out before snapping awake suddenly, eyes wide and panting. Looking at Zim, he grasped at his chest, coughing before everything began to blur again.

Looking scared now, Zim leaned in more and grabbed Dib by his shoulders. "Dib! W-What's wrong with you? I don't know what to do...I don't understand!" he said, beginning to panic slightly.

Trying to stay conscious, Dib broke out into shivers as his teeth began to chatter. "My chest hurts...Make it stop..." he let out a small sob.

Feeling himself panic even more, Zim took off his gloves and pressed a hand to Dib's forehead, taking Dib's hand with his other. "Dib! What do I do? Irkens don't get things like this! Oh, Irk! Are you dying?" he asked, not knowing what he could do to help Dib.

Pulling back, Dib sank down partially under the covers as though to hide from Zim, crying to himself. "I don't know! I feel nauseated and sick..." he swallowed thickly, trying to keep himself from having a panic attack of his own.

"You feel really hot too." Zim pulled the covers away again a bit and put both his bare hands, which were moderately cold, on Dib's forehead. "Uh...Does this help in any way?" he asked, not sure what else to do at this point.

Calming down just a bit, Dib sniffled wetly a few times. "...Maybe a little..." he closed his eyes and tried to relax.

Zim kept his hands on Dib's forehead. "Dib...Did you get worse because of me? Because Zim upset you?" he asked, feeling as though this were all his fault.

Blinking his eyes open to look up at Zim, he then shifted them to anywhere BUT Zim. "...I don't know..." he shrunk back under the covers.

"Oh...' Zim pulled away. "Then maybe Zim should go? In case you get worse again." he rubbed his arm awkwardly, looking ashamed of himself.

"No!...I mean...Your hands are really cool..." Dib grabbed Zim's wrists and put his hands on his face again, closing his eyes to relax again as he coughed into the covers once or twice before settling again.

Zim's eyes widened at this. "Heh...Okay...Zim will stay then" he wiped away some of Dib's tears with one hand and quickly put it back onto Dib's forehead. "Hm...You humans get really sick. I guess I'm lucky that Irkens don't get such illnesses." he said with a nod, trying to strike up some sort of conversation so as not to be consumed by the deafening silence.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ugh...Been so long since I last updated this story. Terribly sorry about that, you guys. For your patience, I shall be rewarding you all with two chapter updates tonight. So here be Chapter 4 of Dib Is Sick. Also, for those of you who haven't read my ZO RP, I thought I'd just let you all know that I WILL be attending the upcoming InvaderCon in 10 months. So if anybody reading this would like to meet me, please let me know so I can give you details concerning how to find me at the con. =3 I can't say for sure whether Sass is going to be going, but my other co-writer, NGD, is DEFINITELY going to be there with me. And since we'll be selling ZO prints while we're there, I thought I'd let you guys know I'll also be taking DIS requests for the upcoming convention. So if anybody attending would like to request something from Dib Is Sick be drawn for the convention, please do let me know and I'll see what can be done. =3 Also, since these prints will be posted on DA, do feel free to request something even if you are NOT going to the convention. I may still take your idea and make a print out of it. Hell, as a matter of fact, I'm going to open myself up for requests from ANY of my IZ related stories on here. Sure, some of my older ones still need revisions/to be finished, but I don't see why I can't create prints for them regaurdless. So feel free to ask for prints from any of the stories posted here on FF (ZADR Orange, Sleepless Nights, Near Misses, Missing Something Crucial, Idle Hands, Dib Is Sick or In the Dark -You have to find this last one on DA if you want to read it. FF deleted it because they suck.) That said, I should probably get to posting this next chapter now. Oh! But one more thing before I do. I have a question for you guys concerning a few of my older stories like Near Misses and Missing Something Crucial. As some of my readers may have noticed, a handful of my stories have been put on hiatus for some time now. Why, you ask? Well, I haven't been as motivated to work on them as of late and am really looking to find a new RP partner who'd like to continue work on some of my unfinished fictions. Near Misses is the big one, seeing as how I have it plotted out but just can't seem to get the chapters done any longer. So I was wondering, would anybody here like to help me? I'm considering taking on maybe two RPers if any of you would be interested. One for Near Misses (somebody who has read or is willing to read the first 8 chapters) and one to continue Missing Something Crucial with me (Because my RP partner on that one gave up on it two chapters into the story.) So, do I have any takers here? If any of you would be interested, please let me know in a comment and I'll be sure to get back to you. That said, here be the next chapter now. We hope you all enjoy and extend much love to our readers, reviewers, people who add the story to their faves and those of you who add the story to your story alert lists. We hope the wait was worth it because here are the next two chapters. ^^

Dib Is Sick Chapter 4: Hate?

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Nuzzling one of Zim's hands to his cheek, Dib opened his eyes to stare up at the Irken after a moment or two. "Do Irkens EVER get sick then?" he asked, holding the hand close to keep the other from leaving.

Zim blushed. "Uhm...Well, there are a few illnesses that Irkens get, like minor skin diseases or poisoning from eating unfamiliar foods. But never like what humans seem to get." he said, looking around almost nervously as though what he just said may be used against him.

"...Oh...So the closest you ever really get to being sick is from food poisoning..." Dib yawned tiredly. "...Then I guess you really are lucky..." he felt himself beginning to fall back to sleep."Mmmm...It's so hot in here..." he blinked his eyes open to look up at Zim. "Would you mind opening the window for me?" he asked, finally releasing Zim's hand to allow the other room to move.

"Uh...Okay. Sure." Zim went to the window. "I suppose I would be luckier if I didn't have to put up with the cafeteria food." he opened up the window. "That always makes me sick." he said jokingly.

"No big surprise there...The cafeteria food makes EVERYBODY sick. It's really not fit for consumption by any species, human or not..." Dib sat up suddenly and coughed into his hands just to find blood on them. Eyes growing wide, he then began to shake. "Z...Zim?" he sent Zim a frightened look.

Still looking at the window, Zim laughed. "Yeah?" he turned to see Dib looking scared. "...What's wrong?" he asked, face turning to one of concern again.

Gulping a bit, Dib turned his hands around for Zim to see. "I-I'm bleeding." he said in a shaky voice.

"Bleeding?" Zim's eyes widened in shock. Unsure of what the hell he should do, he began to get all flustered. "Uh...Sh-Should I go get your dad?" he asked, looking about in a panic.

"No! Don't leave me again! Just please...Don't leave me again...He'll just end up taking me to a hospital or his lab or something if you tell him...And I don't like either of those places!" Dib pulled himself underneath the covers again.

"B-But...Blood and...Stuff!" Zim exclaimed before finally calming himself down and grabbing a tissue from the bedside table. Sitting himself on Dib, he then grabbed his hands and wiped the blood from them. "Oh...Stop being such a smeet, Dib-stink. Zim isn't going anywhere." he said, his instincts taking over again.

Peeking out from underneath the covers at Zim, Dib blushed. "Y-You're not? But I thought you hated me..." he said, a little surprised to hear Zim wasn't leaving.

Looking at Dib, Zim blushed before turning his attention back to Dib's hand, unable to look him in the eyes. "Uhm...I...I hate to see you in such a state...I mean...Uh...Zim should be the only thing that causes you pain!..." he rubbed Dib's hand with the tissue more even though there was no more blood on it.

"Oh...Yeah...That makes sense...I guess..." Dib's eyes dropped to stare at the blankets as Zim wiped his hands with the tissue. He then pulled his hands back once he was sure they were clean and began to fiddle with the blanket. "...Thank you...I can tell you don't really want to be here, so...you can go..." he said, avoiding eye contact with Zim.

Looking at Dib uneasily, Zim rubbed the back of his neck and then looked to his ungloved hands. "N-No! I mean! Zim is...Um..." he began to think of why he'd come there in the first place.

Sitting there, Dib just blinked at Zim blankly.

Zim blushed insanely. "What!" he exclaimed, getting all flustered again. "W-Why are you looking at me like that!" he demanded, the other's attention making him feel uncomfortable in that moment.

When the Irken yelled at him, Dib looked away. "No reason! Geez, Zim...You're the one who started a sentence without finishing it. Don't be getting mad at me about that." he sent the other an annoyed look now.

"Okay!..S-Sorry...And..." Zim folded his arms and frowned at the floor. "Zim...wants to stay." he finished his earlier sentence.

Dib's look softened. "R...Really?" he looked away shyly. "I think I'd...really like that..." his face flushed an even deeper red than it already was.

Smiling at Dib, Zim nodded, still blushing a little. "Good." he said with a satisfied face before looking awkwardly at the bed covers and fiddling with them. "Y'know...It was really boring not having you around to bother me, Dib-stink." he said, having truly missed the human's presence at school the past week or so.

Dib smiled a little. "I thought you would have loved the opportunity to take over the world without me to stand in your way...But...I'm kind of glad you're here now...Because it's been kind of boring being stuck in bed with nobody to talk to." he said, playing with his own half of the bed covers.

"Well, it's not fun when no one tries to stop me from doing it. Too easy!" Zim smiled smugly to himself then looked at Dib with a hint of concern. "So...No one has talked to you? Not even your dad or scary sister?" he asked, having figured one of them must have been caring for him this entire time.

Face falling, Dib looked away. "N-Not really...Gaz doesn't ever come into my room unless she's looking for the remote to the TV downstairs...And my dad...Well...He pops his head in every once in a while when he's home...But otherwise, I don't think he really even knows I'm sick right now...Otherwise, he probably would have told you to go home earlier so you wouldn't catch whatever it is I have...And other than you, nobody at school even seems to notice me...Unless they're picking on me or something..." he said, his hands stopping what they were doing.

"Your dad doesn't even know that you are sick?" Zim looked at Dib with even more concern and then quickly grabbed Dib's hand, squeezing it lightly. "Well, they are all idiots! I hate all of them and so should you!" he looked away and frowned at the floor again, still holding Dib's hand. "You shouldn't let them ignore or pick on you, like you were a defect or something, because you're not." he squeezed Dib's hand a little more.

Blushing at the way Zim was holding his hand, Dib sent Zim a weak and nervous smile. "It's not really all that big of a deal. It's been like that practically my entire life...Or since my mom died, at least...You just sort of get used to it." he said, not understanding why such news was working Zim up so much. After all, this was HIM they were talking about here.

A/N: And there you have it for now. I'll have Chapter 5 updated in a just a few minutes. =3 So we hope you guys enjoy. ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Dib Is Sick Chapter 5: Why? Have you?

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Looking back at Dib, Zim's expression changed to a curious one. "Your mom? You're referring to your other parent, yes? Hmm...I wondered why I never saw her." He tilted his head to one side with a look of concern. "She died?" he asked, wanting to know more about her.

"Ummm...Yeah...When I was 5...And then afterwards, my dad buried himself in his work and Gaz in her video games...And I guess you could say I buried myself in my paranormal studies...It was a really hard loss for us all..."

"Oh...Sorry...I didn't know." Zim looked at Dib's hand that he was still holding and rubbed it carefully with his other hand. "So...Do you remember what she was like? Was she anything like you or your sister?" he asked, trying to imagine what she might be like.

"No, it's alright!...You couldn't have known...And yeah...I remember a little bit about her...She looked a lot more like Gaz then she did me. But she had longer hair and was a lot nicer. And she had the same colored eyes that I have. It seemed like she was always happy no matter what. She really loved space and astronomy, which is kind of what got me so into aliens and stuff. She probably would have loved to meet you considering you're a...Well...You know...But what she loved the most was raising Gaz and me...At least, that's what she used to tell us...It's been so long since I last saw her though...Even in pictures...I know I have a photo album somewhere in here..." Dib leaned down to search under his bed for the old photo album he had with his mother in it. Upon finding it, he let out a happy gasp. "Here it is! My dad almost threw it out once...I guess the memories of her were too painful for him...But I found it in the trash one night after he had gone to sleep and kept it hidden from him for all these years...I guess I just sort of forgot about it being under my bed though...Well, until now, at least." he said, offering the photo album to Zim to look through.

"Oooh!" Zim carefully took the album from Dib and had a look through it. "Wow, she's pretty! Well, y'know...For a human." he said before spotting a picture of her smiling. "She looks like a friendly version of Gaz. I can't believe your dad would try to throw this away!" he turned the page to see a picture of her holding baby Dib. "Heh...Hey! Is that you as a baby?" he asked, pointing to the picture.

A blush forming on his face, Dib sank down under the covers a bit. "Y-Yes...I was only a few months old when that one was taken...My mom used to tell me it was the day I first smiled...or was it laughed?" he tried to remember which.

Zim smiled up at Dib. "Well, you look kinda cute here, Dib-worm." he nodded before looking at the picture again. "When I was a smeet, I was thrown straight into training from the moment I came to life, though I was a real handful and got up to a lot of mischief." he said, turning the page again. Seeing a picture of Dib's mom heavily pregnant with Gaz, Zim couldn't help but stare at it slightly puzzled. "Hmm..." he leaned in to examine it a bit more closely.

Still caught on Zim's earlier remark, Dib couldn't help but blush even more at the Irken's comment. "Cute? That's not a word I ever expected someone like you to use, especially when describing someone like me. So I guess Irken smeets are far more developed at birth than human babies are, huh?...Interesting..." he said before noticing Zim was no longer listening to him anymore. "Hmmm? What's wrong?" he asked, leaning in to try and see what Zim was looking at.

"Huh? Oh, I was just looking at this one." Zim pointed to the picture. "I remember from that 'sex ed' thing that this is called human pregnancy...I still find that kinda thing weird." he shuddered at the thought of humans coming from female bellies.

"So...How are Irkens born then?"

"Well, Irkens are grown in test tubes. When the smeet is ready, the test tube is broken and a PAK gets attached to the Irken smeet's back." Zim pointed to his own PAK. "They then get a powerful electric shock that awakens them, thus creating an AMAZING little Irken smeet. Amazing, no?" he looked at Dib with that all too familiar look of superiority he often gave Dib when talking about his own race.

"Uh...Y-Yeah. But then that means Irkens don't have parents, right? O-Or is it possible for two Irkens to produce a smeet?"

"No. Irkens don't have parents...And as for natural breeding...Well, it is possible. There is a gender difference in the Irken species. But it just isn't done. Such relationships are seen as a weakness. Irkens are meant for invading and nothing more." Zim looked to the side awkwardly.

"...Oh..." Dib suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Sooo...Irkens aren't allowed to form any types of relationships...Does that mean that they aren't allowed to mate, even if it's just for pleasure and not an actual relationship?" he asked, still feeling slightly confused about Zim's earlier words.

Also feeling uncomfortable, Zim rubbed the back of his neck. 'Well...N-No. Irkens aren't supposed to do any of that...But it has happened a few times. I know that. Irkens claiming they have fallen in 'love', even trying to mate. But those who have been caught are severely punished." he twiddled his thumbs nervously.

"Oh...Sounds like you Irkens have it pretty rough then..." Dib became silent for a few moments, looking down at the covers before glancing back at Zim curiously. "So, have you ever wanted to...ummm...DO anything like that, just to know what it's like?" he asked out of the blue, throwing Zim completely off guard.

Blushing, Zim looked at Dib shocked. "N-NO! Of course not! I mean, it's not right...Wellll...Okay, maybe. But...I don't know...Why? Have you!" he pointed at Dib.

Dib's face felt as though it were completely on fire now. "N-No! I...I mean...I don't think I have...I...I...I didn't mean to...Ummm...I'm sorry...I was just curious." he looked away, feeling horribly embarrassed now.

Laughing a little, Zim folded his arms. "Pfff...It's okay. I guess EVERYONE thinks about...IT, though you humans seem to do it a whole lot more." he said before pointing to his lips. "And that weird lip-pressing thing. I've seen a lot of human do that...Is that how humans show their affection to one another?" he asked, continuing to tap his bottom lip all the while.

Too embarrassed to answer back right away, Dib shook his head in an attempt to regain his composure. "Y-You mean kissing...And yes...I-It is a sign of affection between humans. L-Listen, Zim. I was only asking because you seem different from most other Irkens. I...I didn't mean anything by it." he said, trying to clear up any confusion that came with his earlier question.

"Different?" Zim suddenly looked somewhat hurt. "Y-You mean better...right?" he smiled weakly.

Bringing his hands up, Dib waved them at Zim reassuringly while smiling nervously. "Yes! Yes...I didn't mean for that statement to be insulting." he laughed just a tiny bit.

Zim laughed also. "Naahhww...Don't be silly. I'm not insulted." he smiled at Dib then continued to flip through the photo album. "You're right. Zim IS different. But in a good way." he nodded to himself.

Watching Zim, Dib began to feel tired again and let out a small yawn, wincing when he felt like he needed to cough again. He was afraid more blood would come out again though and whined as he turned over in bed. "Mmmm...My throat is killing me..." he said, clutching slightly at his chest.

Zim looked up at Dib worried. "Hmm..." he put the album back carefully then grabbed the glass of water from the bedside table. "Maybe you should drink this." he said, offering said water to the human.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Gah! I can't even remember the last time I updated this story here. DX Sorry for the wait, you guys. But to be fair, I will be updating 4 chapters tonight to make up for the long wait. Just been going through a bit of a rough time lately, which is why I haven't been keeping up with updates. Oh, and for the record, I feel I should announce here that as of a while back, NGD and myself stopped work on ZO.

To put things very simply, we got into an argument of sorts that I'd rather not go into the details of and have since then stopped role playing altogether. So I'm sorry to say it, those of you reading ZO, but it would seem our ZO run has come to an end. As such, it will not longer be getting updated here on FF or anywhere else on the net. ZO is dead, and at this point, I really don't care to try and resurrect it.

Also, as it turns out, NGD actually will NOT be attending the upcoming InvaderCon due to money issues. So yeah. Only I will be going this time around. If those of you going want to meet me, please do feel free to let me know so I can look for you at the con. Otherwise, you might have to ask around seeing as how NGD will NOT be running a vending table at the convention that you can easily find me at. So, sorry, you guys.

A lot of things have just been falling apart as of late. But whatever. All that can really be done at this point is that we move on and not let those things get in the way of other things. As such, I've decided to put a fair amount of my concentration into this story now. So yeah. Expect more "Dib Is Sick" updatage in the very near future. =3 And also, for those of you who don't know already, I have posted DA links in my profile to preview images Sass has made and posted for this story. So if you guys want to go ahead and check them out, please feel free to. I don't think I could emphasize enough how great of an artist she is, and it would really be worth your time to stop on by and give those links a click. ;)

That said, I'll go ahead and get to posting the next 4 chapters of this story. Once again, I apologize for the lateness, and I will try to keep on top of it better from now on. But for now, here be the long awaited Chapter 6 of Dib Is Sick. As always, we appreciate any feedback we may get on this story and we hope you all come to enjoy it as much as some of our other readers do. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 6: Because I was sent

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Looking at the glass of water Zim was offering him, Dib shrank back a bit, beneath the covers. "I don't think that would be such a good idea. I haven't been able to keep anything down for the past two days, including water." he said in a quiet voice.

"Oh..." Zim's expression grew even more concerned as he set the water down onto the bedside table again. "Y'know, you should really get this checked out. I mean, I may not know much about human illness and stuff...But coughing up your own blood and not being able to eat or drink CAN'T be a good sign." he said, pointing a finger at Dib.

Hiding his face in the covers, Dib mumbled something. "I'm afraid of hospitals." his words came out low and unintelligible.

"...Nyeh?" Zim turned his head slightly and leaned in nearer to Dib to hear him better. "You're afraid of whuh?" he asked Dib to repeat himself.

Dib lifted his head from the covers. "I'm afraid of hospitals, okay? I have been ever since my mother died! I'll never forget the months leading up to her death. She was in one having all sorts of painful tests done on her and the entire time she was surrounded by tubes going down her throat or in her neck, pretty much doing everything for her like breathing!" he snapped at Zim, tears clinging to the edges of his eyes.

Jolting back, his eyes widening, Zim realized he had hit a very sensitive subject and suddenly felt rather uncomfortable but upset for Dib at the same time. "It...It sounds like you really had it rough, Dib-sti...Dib...I'm sorry. Seeing your parent in that state. It's no wonder you don't want to go to a hospital." he said with a nod of his head.

Dib was sobbing into the covers now. "I don't want to die...Not like she did...They didn't even let us see her when it happened. They knew she was dying but told us to wait in the waiting room! And all I had left from that day was a note she wrote us a few hours before her heart stopped beating." he hid his face in his hands.

Unsure how he should react, Zim merely looked at Dib sadly for a few moments. Maybe a hug? Or would that be too weird for the human and make matters worse? After a moment of contemplation, he finally leaned in close to Dib and removed the covers from his face so he could wipe away his tears with a tissue. "Oh...You're not going to die, Dib." he stroked the top of his head. "Zim will make sure of that...So the note...if you don't mind me asking..." he continued to wipe away his tears."What did it say?" he asked, curious now what her final words may have been.

Sniffling wetly, Dib stuttered out a response. "I-It said how much...how much she loved us and wanted us to...to just be happy and...and that we should never give up our dreams...and...and..." he couldn't continue, rather burying his face in Zim's chest to cry some more.

Stiffening from the sudden closeness, Zim then relaxed a little after a few moments and wrapped his arms around Dib to embrace him in an awkward hug. "W-Well, she's right, Dib...You should be happy." he stroked Dib's hair." If she could have seen the amazing stuff you've done for the world, I'm sure she'd be very proud." he said with an affirmative nod.

Dib wiped a few tears away on Zim's uniform top. "B-B-But everything's bound to fall apart when...when...when I fail to stop you from taking over the world one of these days. I-I can't keep it up forever!" he exclaimed in a frustrated voice, balling his hands against Zim's chest.

"...You mean...You'll just give up fighting Zim!" Zim exclaimed, fear creeping into his voice. "B-But...You can't...If you do, Zim will just...Zim will just be..." he began to panic.

"Well, what the hell do you want me to do about it? Chances are I'll probably die long before you do! "Dib glared up at Zim.

Looking scared at the thought of Dib not fighting him anymore, Zim pulled back. "I don't know! I don't know!" he folded his arms and glared to the side. "ZIM never wanted to take over this giant ball of dirt in the first place!" he said in huff.

"Then why did you even come here?"

Looking at Dib furiously, Zim balled his hands into fists. "Because I was sent here! I have no choice but to obey my leaders and carry out this mission! Did you ever think ZIM wanted to be here? I hate this FILTHY planet, Dib-stink! I just want to get this mission over with so I can prove to my leaders that I'm not a worthless defect and finally go home!" he looked away from Dib as he began to feel tears forming behind his eyes.

Dib was speechless now. Bringing his hands up to hug himself, he bowed his head. "...Then why haven't you done it yet? You know I don't have the strength to stop you right now. If you really want to go home so badly then why are you here with me rather than out there taking over? You have the perfect opportunity to. Hell, if you really wanted to, you could even do away with me before getting started. So go ahead. See if I care. It's not like I have any choice in the matter at this point." he said in a quiet voice to the other.

Zim felt as though he had just been kicked in the gut hard. "I...I don't want..." he felt the tears beginning to slip out and rubbed them away quickly with his sleeve, trying to speak again but only managing to force out a whimper. Blushing, he then turned away from Dib more, feeling humiliated for behaving this way in front of him.

Sniffling wetly, Dib peeked up at Zim. "You don't want what?" he asked, wanting the other to finish his sentence.

Zim's voice came out slightly strained. "I don't want to kill you...Or you to willingly give yourself over like that!...If you were gone...who would be left to appreciate Zim? My leaders hate me...I would just be alone again." he scratched the back of his hand nervously.

"Y-You don't? But I thought...I thought..." Dib blushed a deep red. "I thought your only reason for wanting me around was so you COULD cause me pain. You even said so yourself!" he pointed at the other accusingly.

"N-No...I didn't mean it...At first, I WANTED to cause you pain. That's all I seem to do with everyone anyway...But you were the only one who kept coming back...You didn't ever ignore Zim." Zim scratched his hand harder, leaving behind dark, green marks. "But now when I see you in pain...It makes Zim feel pain...And now you're going to ignore Zim too." he said, an all too hurt look coming to his face.

"I never said I was going to ignore you! I just said I couldn't keep up with all this fighting for the rest of my life! I mean...Well...I could if I had to...But you'd still win because humans don't live nearly as long as Irkens do!"

"Oh..." Zim suddenly felt horribly embarrassed. "W-Well...Maybe I don't want to fight either...But what the Irk would I do with myself if I don't? I'm not good for anything else." he said, becoming upset again.

"You don't know that. Not if you haven't even given anything else a try." Dib said in a quiet voice, for some reason not wanting Zim to think that way.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 6. =3 Chapters 7, 8, and 9 will be posted in just a few. So hang tight, all, and just enjoy this quick update. ^^


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Since I'm updating in bulk tonight, I won't be including an author's note every single chapter. HOWEVER, I DO want to point out in this chapter that if you guys have the time to check out my profile, you will find not only a link to the preview image Sass made BUT an additional link to an animation yoyoballkay made and posted over on DA from a scene in this very chapter. I highly recommend you guys go check it out. It's just absolutely the most awesome piece of fanart we've ever received for an RP and definitely worth the watch. Really nicely animated and actually looks like it could have come straight from the show. Seriously. It's like every ZADR fangirl's dream animation. I wouldn't even be pointing it out if it weren't THAT awesome. So please go check it out, you guys, and send yoyoballkay your love and support for putting so much work into such an awesome animation. I promise. You won't be disappointed. X3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 7: Affection

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Rubbing his eyes, Zim pouted at Dib. "Like what? Zim has nothing else." he said, not knowing what he'd do with himself were he ever to give up invading.

"Have you ever considered that maybe you could be an even better scientist than my dad? With all your knowledge about Irken technology, getting into a career in some field of science would be easy for you."

"Heh...Yeah, well...I am pretty amazing." Zim smiled to himself before his expression grew sad again. "But...If you're not going to fight Zim anymore..." he crawled nearer to Dib."What will you do with yourself?" he asked, knowing capturing him had been the human's one main goal in all the time he'd been on Earth.

Dib smiled weakly. "Just because I'm not fighting you doesn't mean I can't continue studying the paranormal." he said, having been studying other phenomena long before Zim even arrived on Earth.

"Heh...Yeah. You and your paranormal stuff." Zim smiled back at Dib briefly before fiddling with the bed covers. "Still...You got to admit. It has been pretty fun. All the INSANE things that have happened to us in the past." he said with an almost nostalgic smile on his face.

Dib nodded his head a little. "Yeah..." he said before his face fell a bit again."Will we still see each other at least?" he then asked, glancing up at Zim momentarily.

"Of course!" Zim nodded and smiled at Dib reassuringly. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Dib-stink." he said before doubt and concern suddenly began to creep into his mind, causing him to lose his smile again.

Dib noticed that Zim had lost his smile. "Wh-What's wrong?" he asked in a somewhat shaky voice.

"Huh...? N-Nothing. Nothing is wrong." Zim waved his hands and smiled weakly. "See. Zim is fine." he looked back at the covers and fiddled with them again when his smile faded a second time.

Dib frowned at Zim. "Liar..." he said, able to read the other's facial expressions.

"Well...Okay..." Zim sighed. "I don't know if I could ever adjust to this planet, Dib." he looked up at him sadly. "There are so many things about it that I still don't understand." he said, not sure he could ever live his life like a normal human did.

"Like what?"

"Like everything." Zim hugged himself. "Humans in general, all the norms in this weird society...Even things like the food here...It's all so different from Irk." he said, missing his home planet.

Feeling horrible now, Dib's face fell. "You're home sick, aren't you? But...You can't go back home unless you take over THIS planet..." he held his stomach as he now felt sick to it. "...And I'm the one person preventing you from doing any of that..." his voice began to shake unsteadily again.

Zim looked up, surprised. "N-No! No! It's not like that, Dib! If anything, you were the only thing that motivated Zim to carry out his mission because you truly believed Zim could do it...But I just...don't want to so much now...Yes, Zim is...home sick...But maybe you could show me a few things about this planet...And maybe when you get better, Zim can show you some of the AMAZING things of MY home planet...I may even let you see my entire base." he smiled at Dib.

"R-Really? You would let me see your base? Even after everything I've done to you in the past?" Dib looked away with a small frown on his face. "But it's still not fair that you can't go home..." he said, feeling guilty again.

Zim's expression saddened. "Yeah...But my leaders...They...They probably sent me here in hope that I'd die or something anyway...I don't even know if they'd let Zim go home...I've already been banished once and told I am of no use to the armada for having a faulty PAK... which is clearly a filthy lie." he looked down and frowned.

"I...I didn't know...But they're wrong! You're not useless! If anything, you're probably one of the most dedicated beings I've ever known, and smartest, and...and...nicest too, at least when you choose to be..." Dib blushed a bit and looked away shyly.

Zim smiled wide at Dib. "You're not so bad yourself, Dib-stink." he leaned in close and quickly gave Dib a lick to the side of his face, pulling away a moment later to look to the side, blushing and smiling.

Bringing a hand up to hold his cheek, Dib flushed a deep, deep red color before blinking wide eyes at Zim, not knowing how to respond. "Wh-What was that for?" he asked, not sure what to make of the other's actions.

"THAT, Dib, is how IRKENS show affection." Zim nodded. "And Zim doesn't do that to just anyone." he folded his arms and smiled at Dib, still blushing a little.

"O-Oh...Well, I...Th-Thank you..." Dib smiled a bit while playing around with and looking down at the blankets. Glancing up at Zim a few times with his eyes, he then leaned forward to place a quick kiss on the other's cheek before looking away shyly again, smiling and blushing even more.

Feeling his face heat up some more, Zim touched his cheek curiously. "Uh...Th-Thank you...Zim...Zim liked that." he looked at Dib and rubbed his arm nervously. "S-So...Are you feeling any better?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

Dib blinked up at Zim. "Ummm...Y-You're welcome...And, yes...I-I think I'm feeling just a bit better..." he smiled a bit.

Zim smiled weakly. "Good. Zim is glad." he said before looking down at the covers, an unspoken awkwardness passing between them.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 7. =3 Chapters 8 and 9 with be posted without any further author's notes to get in your guys' ways. So we hope you enjoy the rest of what we post tonight, and we look forward to hearing back from you guys over the next few chapters to come. ^^


	8. Chapter 8

Dib Is Sick Chapter 8: Differences

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Looking up at Zim in the midst of the awkward silence that followed, Dib scooted closer to him, leaning in to press up against him a bit and get comfortable.

Stiffening up at the contact, Zim blushed harder and then relaxed, smiling happy as he removed his wig and contacts with one hand before dropping them onto the floor so he could wrap his arms around Dib, nuzzling into his neck sweetly.

Feeling the Irken's antennae brush up against his face, Dib blushed and shifted his eyes down to stare at the alien. "Wow...I...I never noticed how nice your eyes looked before. W-Would you mind if I got a closer look?" he finally asked, breaking the silence and bringing Zim's attention back on himself.

Blush re-forming, Zim looked up at Dib puzzled. "M-My eyes?" he sat up straight and smiled a bit, excited that Dib had finally taken a fascination to him. "Okay then, Dib. You may look at Zim's eyes. But...Only if you let Zim take a look at yours afterwards." he nodded happily.

"Huh? Well sure, Zim...But why would you want to look at MY eyes?"

Zim pouted. "Because Zim just wants to. Your features are...interesting to Zim." he said before smiling excitedly again. "So, you gonna have a look?" he pointed to one of his eyes.

Dib blushed again. "Um...Uh, yeah..." he leaned in to get a better look at Zim's eyes. "Wow...They're really beautiful...and unique." he said, feeling himself becoming lost in all the different shades of red and pink in Zim's eyes.

Zim felt his face heat up again. "Heh...Well...On my planet, this color was the most common and uninteresting. Purple eyes are the most interesting as they are more rare...But anyways, Irken eyes can see really far distances...Kinda like binoculars." he explained.

"Well, compared to a human's eyes, they're amazing. I wish I could see that far. But even with my glasses, my eyesight isn't nearly as good as yours must be. Though the color is rare. At least, that's what my mom used to tell me."

Carefully removing Dib's glasses, Zim leaned back to focus on Dib a little. "Hey. You look kinda different without these things on, Dib." he then leaned in close to look at Dib's eyes, fascinated by the unusual appearance. "Hmm...I don't see many humans having this eye color. You're lucky to have such a rare eye color." he said before leaning back again and looking at the glasses. Putting them to his eyes for a moment, he then blinked in confusion before carefully placing them back over Dib's eyes again. "Woah...I don't know how you can see anything with those on." he said, rubbing his eyes.

Rubbing at his own eyes, Dib then blinked. "They're meant to improve MY vision only. All you'll see by looking through them is everything I see without them. And, like I said before, I got my mom's eyes. Gaz does too though you can hardly tell when she's scowling all the time. Sooo...How do I look without them on then?" he asked, curious as to what Zim thought of him.

"Well...You look good. B-But you look good with them on or off." Zim waved his hands. "...Z-Zim doesn't mind...Um...SO, you can barely see without them, huh?..." he looked at him sympathetically. "...That's kinda sad...I don't think I could handle having bad vision." he said with a shake of his head.

"Y-Yeah...My vision is really bad. It has been for most of my life. But my parents hadn't realized that until after I had started walking. They say I used to walk into walls and furniture and stuff."

Looking up at Dib sadly, Zim took his hand in his own, turning his attention to it and stroking it a little, unsure what to say. "...But...You can see better now with the glasses on, right?" he smiled up at Dib.

Smiling back at Zim warmly, Dib nodded his head. "Yeah. I've been wearing them for the majority of my life, so it's not so bad after you get used to them. Though I prefer not to take them off at all. Seeing how everything looks without them gives me headaches sometimes." he said, bringing up a hand to readjust them some on the rim of his nose.

"From how everything looked when ZIM put those on, it's no wonder." Zim smiled sweetly then turned his attention to Dib's hand again, looking at it curiously. "Hmm...It's weird how humans have so many fingers. All Zim ever needed were three." he brought up his own hand, moving his fingers a little.

Staring at Zim's hand curiously, Dib then reached out to take it in his own so he could get a closer look at the green, three-fingered hand. "Hmmm...I don't think humans really NEED five fingers. We just have them. Except for maybe typing or playing an instrument, I can't think of what we use all five for at the same time." he shrugged to himself a bit. "Wow...The skin on your hands is really soft and smooth. A lot smoother than a human's. The only time our skin is this soft is usually at birth. So, is the rest of the skin on your body this smooth? Or is it just your hands?" he asked, running his thumbs over the other's digits, find pleasure in how silky they felt to his touch.

Zim giggled at the question. "Yes...All of Zim is like this, but Irken skin is kinda sensitive and doesn't adapt very well to different environments. BUT when Irkens have been wounded, they heal 10 times faster than humans." he said with an affirmative nod.

"I noticed that in the past. You never came to school with the injuries I gave you the day before. You were always healed by then." Dib smiled to himself a bit before nuzzling Zim's hand to his warm face. "Your skin is cool too, and I really like that about it." he murmured, the touch a welcome relief.

"Yep! Zim would heal almost moments after I took any kind of battering from you." Zim smiled. "But you would still have marks and bruises for days after we fought." he laughed. "So you like Zim's amazing skin, huh?" he brought up his other hand to place on Dib's face.

"I like your skin right now. I just wish you had more hands you could press to the rest of my body..." Dib said before pausing as he realized just how bad those words had sounded and blushing. "I-I mean...Because I'm really warm...And...And...And your hands are really cool, and...Actually, on second thought, just forget I even said that to begin with because...Because I didn't mean anything dirty...Or perverted by that!" he blurted out quickly, getting flustered.

Staring wide-eyed at Dib for a few seconds, Zim then burst out laughing. "HAHAHAH!...Heh...Yeah. Well, Zim DOES have amazing skin." he leaned in and rubbed the side of his face up against Dib's cheek playfully. "But you feel like you've just come out of an oven, Dib." he giggled.

Dib blinked his eyes closed as Zim nuzzled his face. "I FEEL like I've just come out of an oven. A 500 degree Fahrenheit one." he said, his body slumping somewhat against Zim.

Pulling away, Zim looked at Dib seriously for a minute, placing his hands either side of his face. "Hmmm...And you're still feeling nauseated?" he asked, trying to gauge Dib's true temperature.

Dib nodded his head a little. "Y-Yeah...It's been coming and going in waves. Sometimes I think I'm beginning to feel better again but then it hits me again worse than before." he said, bringing his hands up to hold his stomach.


	9. Chapter 9

Dib Is Sick Chapter 9: Antennae Touchies

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Sending Dib yet another concerned look at his words, Zim looked about almost anxiously before returning his attention back to Dib. " Well...Maybe...If you wanted," he looked away, blush re-forming. "We could go to my base and I...I could get my computer to run a scan, diagnose the problem, and find the exact chemicals needed to cure it. Irken technology is pretty AMAZING compared to inferior earth machinery after all." he smiled up at Dib. "Especially the ones found in hospitals...But y'know...If you wanna stay here..." he closed his eyes, peeking one of them open after a moment to see if Dib was interested.

Dib tensed a bit. "W-Would it hurt? And is that even possible?" he asked, still holding his upset stomach.

"Heheh...No. It won't hurt you. It is merely a scan, Dib." Zim smirked. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna poke you with anything sharp and pointy. Just think of it as one of those things that reads price labels in stores." he pat Dib's head patronizingly. "And of course it will work...I am Zim!" he raised his fists to the ceiling triumphantly.

Glaring at Zim a bit for treating him like a dog, Dib blushed. "I'm not so sure...After all, your technology and chemicals are all Irken. Who knows what effects they may have on me." he said, interrupting Zim's all too early victory dance.

" Aww...C'mon, Dib." Zim folded his arms and pouted. "All it will do is detect the problem. The chemicals suggested will be 100% compatible with you and will cause you no harm. And my computer will make sure of that." he said before catching Dib's glare and bringing his hands up defensively, smiling awkwardly. "B-But it was just a suggestion. You don't HAVE to. I just mentioned it because I'm pretty sure you won't be going to a hospital any time soon...Just...think about it, maybe...?" he looked at Dib more sincerely, trying to convince him that everything he was proposing would be safe.

Sighing, Dib looked away from Zim. "Maybe...But let me think about it until morning. Right now all I want to do is go back to sleep." he said, tiredly closing his eyes and nuzzling into Zim.

About to argue, Zim stopped himself as Dib nuzzled into him. "Yeah." he sighed. "...Okay then, Dibbers." he brought his arms up around Dib. "But you're missing out on using Irken technology." he said, nuzzling himself comfortably against Dib then blushing when he realized what he had just called him.

Blinking his eyes open, Dib blushed a deep red color and lifted his eyes up to look at Zim. "D-Did you just call me...Dibbers?" he stuttered, not sure whether he was just hearing things or whether Zim actually said that.

His cheeks now an extremely dark green, Zim stared back at him with wide eyes. "N-Noooo...HAHA...Th-That's silly! You're beginning to hear things, Dib-stink!" he said, now very flustered as he pressed a hand to Dib's forehead. "Oh no! You must be worse than I thought!" he tried to put on a convincing show for the human.

"N-No. I'm pretty sure I wasn't just hearing things. Though I wouldn't be too surprised if I did start to soon." Dib said, slumping up against Zim and closing his eyes again.

Phewing silently to himself in relief, Zim brought the covers up over them both and pushed himself gently up against Dib to get him to lie down on the pillow behind him so he could lay comfortably on top of Dib.

Letting out a small whine at all the shifting about, Dib coughed into his hands again before getting comfortable and peeking his eyes open. He groaned. "I'm still bleeding." he said, his hands covered in blood yet again.

"Still?" Zim pulled a concerned face and nuzzled Dib. "Well...Maybe it will stop in the morning or...I'll just fix the problem." he mumbled tiredly, hugging Dib tighter. " ...Just don't get any icky, red fluid on Zim." he then said, beginning to drift off.

Too tired and dizzy to argue with the Irken, Dib nodded. " ...Whatever...I'll try not to..." he said, rubbing up under his eyes.

Winding his fingers in Dib's raven black hair, Zim sighed and smiled to himself in comfort, antennae twitching happily. "Mmhmm..." he sounded out between amused sighs and cuddles.

Peeking his eyes open to look up at Zim's antennae lazily, Dib reached up one hand to stroke the thin, black stalk gently as a sort of comfort for himself.

Face flushing a dark green, Zim's eyes blinked wide open at the touch before he tightly re-closed them, smiling a bit and burying his face into Dib's chest.

Noticing Zim's reaction, Dib let go. "Am I hurting you?" he asked, not having been expecting to get such a reaction.

Shaking his head a little, Zim made a muffled noise in response before grabbing Dib's hand and placing it back onto his antennae.

Eyes widening a bit before falling half lidded and then closed, Dib continued gently pinching the thin appendages on his head.

"Mmphh..." Zim smiled widely into Dib's chest, trying to stop himself from making any noise as he felt his heart begin to beat faster and his face heat up even more.

Dib smiled. "That feels good, eh?" he said, continuing his work slowly.

Nodding quickly, Zim turned his head slightly to rest himself more comfortably against Dib, still smiling and allowing the human to stroke his antennas. He felt himself beginning to fall asleep on the other.

"How about this?" Dib brought one of the antennas down to run his tongue along.

Blushing harder, Zim scrunched up his face. " Mmmmmmph!" he sounded out, breath quickening and arms tightening around Dib.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: *Gasp!* What is this? Could it be? YES! It is! Another update of "Dib is Sick" for those of you waiting! 8D For the record, Sass was just waiting to get her hands on a scanner so she could scan in the DA preview image for this chapter. So, sorry for the wait, you guys. But I think her preview images are ALWAYS worth waiting for, even when it comes to a story like this that has such short chapters to it. =3 But anyways, that preview image WILL be posted in my author profile just as soon as I finish uploading this chapter. In the meantime, however, you guys can consider this an early Christmas present. =3 Much, much, much, much, MUCH, much love to those of you who reviewed last chapter. We're sorry to have kept you all waiting so long. But hopefully this chapter makes up for it and the next chapter won't take too horribly long to get out. ^^ We love all our readers, favers, story alert list adders, etc., and we hope you all enjoy this next installment of "Dib is Sick." Just remember, feedback is very much appreciated on this story. =3 So enjoy~ ^^

Dib Is Sick Chapter 10: Pheromones

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Smirking at Zim's reaction to his licking of the other's antenna, Dib pulled the tip into his mouth to suckle at gently, the taste something sweet, like honey on his tongue.

Nuzzling up to Dib's neck, Zim made a little whine and started licking at it affectionately.

Gasping sharply at the feel of Zim's tongue running up his neck, Dib moaned out lowly just to pull away quickly and cough into his hands. He flinched at the action. "Ow..." he muttered.

Pulling himself up shakily, Zim opened his eyes slightly to look at Dib with concern, face still blushing.

Blinking his eyes back up at Zim to look at him curiously, Dib cleared his voice. "Your antennae taste really sweet to me. Are they supposed to?" he asked, intrigued by the taste still on his tongue.

Zim blushed more. "W-Well I...I guess so...It's an Irken thing." he said before looking away awkwardly. "The antennae are one of the most sensitive parts of the Irken body. The taste is kinda like a pheromone...It's how Irkens are supposed to find the right mate..." he said, avoiding eye contact at all costs as he said that.

Dib's face turned on fire now. "O-Oh...B-But I thought Irken's weren't allowed to mate." he reminded Zim what he had told him earlier.

"Y-Yeah...But that doesn't mean they CAN'T mate...That ability is just...innate." Zim said, finally glancing back at Dib.

Dib was still blushing. "Oh...So do you want me to stop?" he then asked, not sure if what he had been doing was alright with the Irken.

"Well..." Zim blushed harder and looked down. "N-No...It felt...kinda nice...No one has done that for Zim before." he said before smirking up at Dib and twitching his antennas. "I wouldn't have let anyone else do that to Zim." he then said, sending Dib a sly look.

Dib's blush reddened. "R-Really? I-I'm the only one you've ever let touch them?" he said, pointing to himself with a thumb.

Blushing, Zim nodded his head. "Yep. Zim has never let anyone touch his antennas before...Or taste them..." he looked at Dib curiously, blush growing. "So...What did it taste like?" he asked, having never tasted them himself.

Dib's face was completely red now. "It was really...really sweet...Kind of like honey...But mixed with something else sweet that I can't exactly put my finger on." he tried his best to explain the taste to Zim.

Smiling to himself as if he'd been complimented, Zim laid himself comfortably onto Dib, nuzzling into his neck slightly. "Hey, Dib...You know how I always tell you that you stink...Well, I actually always thought you smelled really good...Don't tell anyone I said that though." he said, as though his words were something anybody besides Dib would make a big deal out of.

Blushing, Dib smiled at the compliment. "Th-Thank you..." he said before shifting his eyes back up to stare at the Irken's antennae, tempted to touch them again.

Closing his eyes, Zim smiled, one antenna twitching a little bit as he grabbed one of Dib's hands to place onto it again.

Blush beginning to die down a bit, Dib gently massaged the thin appendage with his fingers from the base to the tip.

Feeling himself shudder slightly at the touch, Zim smiled widely, making a little noise as he sucked some air in through his teeth.

Bringing an antennae down to kiss the tip gently, Dib blew cool air on it.

Letting out a little gasp, Zim wrapped his arms tightly around Dib, feeling himself getting excited again.

Pulling the tip into his mouth, Dib gently flicked at it with his tongue slowly.

Feeling blood rush to his face, Zim let out a small moan. This felt amazing to him as he suddenly pushed himself up a little, bringing his hands to either side of Dib to lift himself so he could stare into Dib's eyes, wanting to do something for Dib now.

Opening his eyes, Dib stared up at Zim. "Zim? What are you doing?" he asked when he realized the Irken was staring down at him.

Feeling his face blush harder, Zim leaned in quickly to press his lips to Dib's, in the hope that he was doing this all right.

Eyes snapping wide open in surprise, Dib's fingers twitched at his sides before he brought his hands up to grip Zim's shirt tightly as his eyes fell half lidded and he allowed the Irken to push his tongue inside his mouth to explore a bit. "Mmmm..." he moaned into the kiss a bit.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 10. =3 Hope that chapter was worth the wait. ^^ I know it was a bit short, but we really do try to get them out as quickly as we can. =3 Chapter 11 will now be sent to our beta. And then Sass will design another preview image for our readers' entertainment. ^^ Those of you interested in seeing those preview images, feel free to check them out via my author's profile. Until next time~


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Pfft...*Slams head against desk* Terribly sorry for the wait on this one, you guys. XD I was hoping it would get up faster, but it took WAY longer than I wanted it to. SO! As a way of cutting the time of getting these chapters up, Sass is gonna be cutting back on the preview images, as awesome as they are. Now what does that mean for you guys? It means hopefully faster updates, given our beta is quick in getting the chapters back to us. So yeah. You guys can look forward to one preview image per 5 chapters from now on from Sass.

On a side note, I was thinking of maybe opening a "Dib Is Sick" fanart contest. Yes, this would mean you guys would have to have DA accounts to submit work (Or FA or Shadowness if you can't get DA to work) but basically, it would be a lot like the ZO contest we held a while back (Except it wouldn't be cut short because of people like NGD whining about the entries. For the record, that story has been restarted on DA again thanks to myself and a few choice artists/writers. Sure, NGD is having a bitch fit about it and trying to report me for art theft. But whatever. The story was written from scratch BY ME. She has no right to tell me what I can and cannot post. So yeah.) If any of you would like to submit DIS fanart, please do feel free to let us know. =3 We'd love to see what you guys come up with. ^^ I'll post more guidelines about it in a DA journal later and link it in my profile here.

Oh, and, before I forget, I have one last announcement to make before posting this chapter. For those of you who don't know, I HAVE started yet another new story. Only catch. It's not under my account here. So if you guys want to check it out, please visit Elvis-Stitch's account here on FF to read. The new fic is called Entity and it's one of my more serious role plays overall. I'll post a link in my profile for anybody interested AND link some of the fanart that's already been done for it. =3

So yeah...I think that's all I've got to announce concerning recent events. Let's get to Chapter 11 then, shall we? As always, feedback is very much appreciated. And well, we just hope you all enjoy this next chapter. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 11: Puberty

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Feeling a small victory for getting this right, Zim tried to stop himself from smiling at Dib's reaction as he pushed his tongue into Dib's mouth, wrapping it around Dib's large, fleshy one and feeling himself beginning to enjoy this also.

Letting Zim be in control, Dib kissed back gently, allowing his own tongue to dance with Zim's serpentine one.

Allowing his tongue to slide along Dib's, Zim pulled back a little before pushing back into the kiss harder, feeling his face heat up more from the kiss and his heart beat a little faster. He hadn't been expecting this to have any effect on him, but for some reason, it was.

Gasping a bit, Dib moaned out just a bit louder at how roughly Zim was kissing him, able to feel his own heart beating faster, causing his breathing to go haggard.

Blinking, Zim then pulled away to look at Dib, having completely forgotten how fragile the human was in his current state. "Dib?..." he brought a hand up to his face. "Did...Did I hurt you?" he asked, afraid he may have gone too far.

Panting out in the quiet room, Dib looked up at Zim with a small smile. "N-No...I've just never...I mean...Nobody has ever...DONE anything like that to me...It felt really...really nice..." he said, blushing a bit.

Looking to the side, Zim smiled a bit himself. "...Yeah, that DID feel kinda...good." he said before looking back at Dib and blushing.

"S-So...D-Did you want to...to continue?" Dib asked, his blush deepening just a bit at his own question.

Looking surprised for a second, Zim then smirked a little. "I can tell that YOU want to." he said, leaning in slightly.

Dib blushed even more. "Wha-? Huh? I...I never said that! I...I was just asking you because you seemed to be enjoying yourself and...and..." he felt himself beginning to get horribly flustered now.

Smiling evilly to himself, Zim then pouted at Dib a little teasingly. "So...You DON'T want to?" he sent the other a small hurt look.

"I..." Dib felt as though his face were on fire now. "I...I don't know, okay?" he looked away from the other with a pout on his own face. "I-It's not every day something like this happens to me..." he then said in a slightly quieter voice.

Eyes widening and antennae perking up in realization of what he himself had been doing, Zim sat himself up, still on Dib, and blushed. "Y-Yeah, well...You're not the only one." he said, looking away nervously and antennae lowering.

"Yeah, well, at least you've probably already been through puberty on your own home planet. I'm only just starting to go through it." he mumbled half to himself, face flushing a deep red color.

Zim looked over at Dib at that remark. "Hmm...? I know HUMAN puberty is supposed to be rather unpleasant...with all the 'hormones' and stuff." he said, trying to recall what he could remember about it from their sex ed class.

Having not meant for the other to hear that, Dib almost instantly hid his face in his arms in embarrassment. "That's why I'm not even sure whether we should continue this! For all I know, everything I'm feeling right now could be merely hormone driven! I'm so confused nowadays, I don't even know what's real and what's not anymore!" his voice came out muffled as he refused to look back up at the other.

Zim's antennae lowered down further. "Oh...So...What are you feeling right now then?" he asked, sending the other a slightly curious look now.

"I...I don't even know...I really enjoyed that kiss you gave me, but...but I can't help but feel all of it may just be because of my hormones...Because...Because we were enemies right up until just a few hours ago!" Dib exclaimed, getting upset now.

"Aw, c'mon, Dib. I don't want you to get upset again...Especially if it's because of Zim...I mean...I-I've never done that with anyone either. I didn't even think I would enjoy-...I mean...Umm...Irkens aren't even supposed to feel like-..." Zim tried to find the right words, blushing to the extreme at this point.

Still upset, Dib merely buried his face farther in his arms. "Like what?" he demanded, wanting Zim to finish whatever it was he was about to say.

"I...I dunno, okay? Just!..Stop being all...upset! I don't know what to do when you get like this..."

Pulling away from the other, Dib then hugged himself tightly. "Why do you feel the need to do something? Since when did you start caring whether I was upset or not? Everything you're saying and doing just confuses me even more!" he exclaimed, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

Folding his arms and frowning at the floor, Zim lowered his antennae down again. "I...I don't know...I shouldn't care...I'm not supposed to care...But I do...The reason I came here in the first place was because I hate it when you aren't around to bug me..." he blushed. " ...Do you think ZIM is not confused!" he then exclaimed back at Dib, feeling overwhelmed by all these new sensations he was having.

"Yes! I mean, no...I mean...I...I don't know...I guess...But...You're...You're..." he tried to find the right words before stopping suddenly when he saw his vision blur for a few seconds before coming back into focus and then blurring again. "Y-You're really blurry all of a sudden..." he said, squinting his eyes as though that would help fix his vision.

"Hmm?" Zim scooted nearer to Dib. "But you have your glasses on." he said, pressing a hand to Dib's forehead gently

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 11. =3 Hope this chapter was worth the wait. ^^ And if it wasn't, well then you can just all hope the next few chapters get up quickly. XD Like I said already, just depends on our beta now. I don't like rushing my beta though if I don't have to, so please just be a patient with us. I know my beta has other things to do with her time aside from spell checking our story, so don't any of you be bugging her over on DA. The next chapter will be out as soon as it's ready and that's all there is to it. On a side note, I may enable anonymous reviews on here again. Originally, I disabled that because I was being trolled by a jealous ex-friend. But I think she's gone now, so I doubt I'll be getting anymore trolling comments. I'll only disable the anonymous reviews again IF I receive trolling from people. But if not, then those of you too lazy to sign in and such can go ahead and leave comments now. =3 Well, until next time, you guys~


	12. Chapter 12

Dib Is Sick Chapter 12: Blackout

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Swaying a bit in his spot, Dib could already see the very edges of his vision beginning to turn dark as he tried to stay conscious. "E-Everything's really blurry..." he said a second time before slumping up against Zim and finally passing out.

Jumping a bit when Dib passed out, Zim put his arms around Dib. "Uh...Dib…?" he gave him a little shake. "Hey! Wake up, Dib-stink!" he held him to the side carefully so he could look at him and give him another light shake. "...Dib…? D-Dib…? Oh IRK!" he panicked and held Dib close to him. "Dib, please wake up…" he begged the other, not knowing what to do.

"Mmmm..." Dib began to shiver again just like earlier before coming around again just a little. "It's so hot in here...I feel like I can't breathe...I-I want my mom..." his teeth chattered as he shook even more violently, body trying to regulate heat back down to a more normal temperature.

Zim stroked the side of Dib's face. "It's going to be ok. You have Zim now." he smiled weakly at the boy.

His body still shaking, Dib calmed just the slightest bit at Zim's stroking before he shifted just a little in Zim's arms to try and get more comfortable, letting out a small whimper at how sore he was in that moment. "Everything hurts..." he mumbled as he tried to ignore the pain for the time being.

Looking at him sadly, Zim only continued stroking the side of his face, worried now about how ill Dib looked. "Dib...If...If you want, I can take you to my base...I...I might be able to stop this...I can't stand seeing you like this." he said, looking at him pleadingly.

Forcing his eyes open to just barely open slits, Dib stared up at Zim. "I don't know if I can walk..." he closed his eyes again and flinched at the pain racking his body.

Zim smiled a little. "Who said we'd have to walk? I have a voot cruiser, remember?" he reminded him before stroking his hair. "You won't even have to stand." he said, certain he could carry Dib the rest of the way.

Opening his eyes half way, Dib looked back up at Zim. "And you have it here already? Or...Is it back at your base?" he asked, having thought Zim walked to his house.

"Well...It...It's still at the base, but I'll get Gir to bring it over...I just hope he remembers to put the cloaking shield on."

"If he doesn't, someone might see him flying it...Are you sure you want to risk being seen...?"

"Pfff...The people here are too stupid to notice anything. You of all people should know that." Zim smiled warmly at him. "So do I hear a yes?" he moved one hand near his PAK, awaiting a reply.

Hesitating, Dib sank down in Zim's arms a bit before finally answering. "...Just so long as you don't do any painful tests on me..." he agreed despite sounding just a bit uncertain about all this.

Smiling, Zim nodded. "I promise." he said before pressing something on his PAK and waiting for a screen to extend out before them both. After a second of static, Gir then appeared onscreen, sitting on the couch.

" HIII!" Gir screeched when he noticed Dib in Zim's arms. "Awwww...I knew you guys would make up and be the best of friiieeends!" he exclaimed happily before hugging himself.

"Gir! I need you to bring the voot cruiser here immediately!"

"But I'm watching the Angry Monkey Show!"

"No, Gir! Now! Obey Ziiim!...Or no Angry Monkey for the rest of the week! And remember to use the cloaking device this time!"

"OKIE DOKIE!" Gir waved before the screen went off and back into Zim's PAK.

Zim sighed. "...That stupid robot." he shook his head and brought a hand up to rub at his eyes with two fingers.

Trying to keep his vision focused, Dib, meanwhile, stared up at Zim silently for a few moments. "You're going all blurry again, Zim." he said, unsure whether he'd be able to remain conscious for much longer.

Looking over at Dib with a worried expression again, Zim grabbed one of his hands to squeeze it lightly. "Dib...Try to stay awake. He won't be long." he said before looking out the window and feeling himself begin to panic again. "I hope." he then added at the end, speaking more to himself than Dib now.

In an attempt to stay conscious, Dib blinked his eyes a few times. "I'll try..." he said before shifting his eyes over to the window to look outside and wait for Gir."...It's really late out now..." he then said, indicating to how dark everything was outside.

Again, Zim stroked his face. "Well...You can sleep if you want to." he smiled a little. "I don't mind." he then said, just wanting to make Dib as comfortable as possible in that moment.

As if on cue, it was right then that Gir knocked on the window and waved at them, looking as though he were floating in mid-air as he sat on top of the voot cruiser.

Dib looked over at Gir. "Do you need me to move first?" he asked, not wanting to fall asleep on Zim before getting into the other's ship with him.

"Nope." Zim stood up, still holding Dib as he walked to the window with ease and opened it.

Moving aside to let them in, Gir pulled a silly smiley face before giggling excitedly.

Zim glared at Gir. "Say nothing!" he growled, sending the android a warning look.

Dib clung to Zim at the sudden loss of bed underneath him.

Smiling at how cute Dib looked right then, Zim then placed him carefully into one of the seats. "Sorry. You're going to have to sit next to him though." he nodded in Gir's direction, the small robot smiling back at them before scooting nearer to Dib. Then, grabbing his wig, lenses, and gloves, Zim climbed into the driver's seat.

Looking at Gir, Dib scooted just a little closer to Zim. "I-It's fine...I think..." he whispered that last part.

"Don't worry, Diiib." Zim laughed a little. "He won't hurt you...He's too much of a moron." he said before starting up the cruiser.

"D'awww." Gir scooted even nearer to Dib again. "The Big Head Boy's coming to our house! Yeeheeeheee!" he threw his arms up all too excitedly.

"...Uh...Yeah, you see?" Zim said before starting to head towards the base.

Dib slouched in his seat a bit. "My head's not big..." he then said before closing his eyes sleepily, seemingly slipping out of consciousness.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 12. =3 See how much faster that was without the preview images? Let's just hope I can continue producing chapters that quickly. XD And that our beta continues being able to get us our chapters back that quickly. Anyways. Just a quick update. Hope you guys enjoy. o3o


	13. Chapter 13

Dib Is Sick Chapter 13: Injections

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Pulling on his usual frowny face as he concentrated on flying the cruiser the rest of the way to the base, Zim, after a short while, finally managed to reach the base and pilot the ship into the opening in his roof.

Holding his stomach as he felt motion sick now, Dib peeked his eyes open as they were landing. "Ugh...I'm starting to feel nauseated again..." he said before closing his eyes and shivering.

Looking over at Dib worriedly, Zim then turned his attention back on landing the cruiser. As soon as the door had opened, Gir shot out of the voot and ran off giggling. " Uh...Do you want Zim to carry you?" he asked, placing a hand to Dib's face in an attempt to calm him down, expression only growing even more concerned when he felt how hot the boy was.

Holding out his shaking arms for Zim to take him, Dib nodded without even opening his eyes once.

Planting a quick kiss on his forehead, Zim stroked his hair before scooping him up and holding him close as he headed for the elevator to go down to the lower base where he stood before a large computer screen, many other large machines and controls surrounding it. "Dib." he looked down at him and put a hand to his face. "I'm going to need you to stand up for a minute. Do you think you can do that?" he asked, not sure how stable Dib was in that moment.

Opening his eyes just a bit, Dib looked up at Zim. "I can try..." he said, leaning heavily against a wall as Zim set him down on his feet.

"This won't have to be for very long." Zim pulled both of Dib's arms up to be outstretched on either side of him. "Computer, run a diagnostic scan on the human and provide information on the chemicals needed to cure him." he then ordered, glancing up towards where he knew his computer was.

"Ugghh...Fiiine." the computer said as Zim stepped aside quickly to let a beam of light run up and down Dib's body before then disappearing. "Processing data." it said once it was finished scanning Dib.

Flinching back at the light, Dib then started to wobble just as soon as it was gone. "I think I'm going to..." he began to say before feeling himself beginning to fall.

Running over to him quickly, Zim held him up. "Sorry you had to do that." he apologized before lifting him back up to hold again. "And that I have to keep lifting you up like this." he smiled weakly at him and walked back to the elevator to take them both to the upper base while the computer sorted out the data.

"Mmmm...Where are we going now?"

"Well, I'm going to put you somewhere you can be comfortable for a while as I go prepare your medicine for you." Zim smiled at him warmly and walked into the living room, putting him carefully onto the sofa.

"Oh...okay..." Dib closed his eyes once he was on the couch.

"Okay. Won't be long." Zim shot off for a while and came back smiling only after he had completed the medicine for Dib, a weird purple-colored liquid being held in a test-tube. "Whew. Sorry that took so long. The medicine the computer suggested had to be injected...And I know you wouldn't like that too much...So I had to make you a drinkable one." he held it in front of Dib.

Pulling back away from it a bit, Dib frowned. "Maybe you SHOULD give me the injectable kind...I haven't been able to keep down even water, remember?" he flushed a bit at the fact that Zim did all that work for nothing.

Taking back the medicine, Zim stood up straight, looking embarrassed. "Heh...Oh yeah...Umm...Didn't think of that. Okay. I'll go grab that one then." he said before shooting off yet again and coming back with a syringe filled with a similar looking substance. "Aaalrighty...NOW I have what you need." he said, kneeling down and looking up at Dib. "I'll be really careful." he then said, not wanting to hurt Dib.

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, Dib nodded his head and held his arm out for Zim, waiting to feel the needle pierce his skin. "Okay...I'm ready..." he said, not the biggest fan of needles but knowing this had to be done.

Carefully taking Dib's arm, Zim didn't hesitate to stick the needle in, all the fluid leaving the syringe before he pulled it out again and pressed the spot with a tissue, still holding his arm. "Heh...Don't you just LOVE getting injections." he smirked jokingly.

Dib's face lit up a bright red at Zim's words. "I-I guess...Depends on what kind of injection you're talking about." he said before hiding his face in a pillow.

"...Nyeh?" Zim cocked an antenna and stared at him blankly, tilting his head a little and then looking at the needle, confused. "...Other...injections?" he said, having absolutely no idea what Dib was talking about now.

Dib's entire face lit up like a red Christmas light at Zim's blank stare. "N-Never mind!" he turned over onto his side on the couch, facing away from Zim now.

Looking even more puzzled at his reaction, Zim frowned before putting the needle aside and giving him a sharp poke with his finger. "Diiiib...Tell to Zim!" he wanted to know what had gotten the other so riled up.

Dib merely yelped at the sharp poke however. "OW!" he curled in on himself and let out a small sob. "STOOOP! That hurts!" he cried, not wanting the other to even touch him at this point.

Zim looked at his finger. "Aw, come on. I didn't poke you with the needle again at least..." he folded his arms, frowning at him still. "Okay, okay. If it makes you go all red and flustered, we don't have to talk about...whatever it is...I don't want you getting all stressed while the medicine takes effect anyways." he said, looking off to one side.

Sniffling wetly into the pillow, Dib turned over just a bit to look up at Zim with tearful eyes. "Everything hurts now because of this damn fever, so don't you be giving me any shit about your poking me hurting any less than that fucking needle did!" he sank down into the cushions of the couch again and let out another wet sob before suddenly feeling himself beginning to black out on the other again.

Zim jumped a little in shock at Dib passing out again. "Ugh! Not again, Dib-stink!" he said before climbing onto the sofa and moving him carefully so that his head was supported in his lap. "I told you not to get stressed out! There's probably a war of chemicals battling inside you now!" he said, looking at him with concern, voice sounding very worried now. "J-Just for Irk's sake, don't die on me, okay...?" he then said, stroking his hair carefully and looking sadder than he had ever looked before.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 13. =3 Heheh~ Injections. X3 Hope you guys enjoy. o3o


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Alright. Just really quickly before I get to posting this next chapter. For anyone who has not heard, both Sass and myself are holding a fanart contest over on DA for this story. If you'd like the enter, feel free to check out our contest guidelines which I have linked to in my FF profile. Information on acceptable entries/prizes will be available there.

Dib Is Sick Chapter 14: Intentions

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Hardly responding to Zim's gentle stroking, Dib, for the next several hours or so, just slipped into an even deeper sleep as he slept off the chemicals that Zim had injected into his body.

Staying awake for a few of those hours, Zim continued to stroke his hair, still concerned for Dib but starting to feel himself beginning to doze off. He leaned back against the sofa with a soft sigh, closing his eyes as he finally felt himself losing consciousness.

About 5 and a half hours later, at around 5:30 in the morning, Dib finally began to show the first signs of waking back up. Blinking his eyes less than half way open, he looked about the room, his vision still blurred horribly in that moment. "Mmmm..." he sounded out in his sleepy daze.

Waking up at hearing Dib, Zim rubbed his eyes quickly and looked at him. "So...How is Dib feeling today, hmm?" he pressed a hand to his forehead to feel for his temperature.

Seeing only a blur of shapes and colors, Dib shifted his eyes over to look up at Zim. "M-Mom?" the one word slipped past his lips before he closed his eyes again and lost consciousness, a small snore escaping him shortly after.

Staring at him wide-eyed for a second, Zim then shook his head and stroked Dib's hair, figuring he must be dreaming still. Continuing to stroke his hair for another 5 minutes or so, he then felt himself beginning to grow bored. He didn't want to move or turn on the TV in the event he woke Dib up. So, rather, he reached down a hand to remove Dib's glasses momentarily, fiddling with them for a bit before placing them to the side so he could continue playing with Dib's hair again, taking care all the while not to wake the boy up.

Sleeping for another good few hours, it wasn't until around 9:00 that Dib once again began to come back around, though more fully this time as he shifted in his sleep a bit and yawned before blinking half-lidded eyes open again to stare up at Zim. Blinking a few more times, it took him a moment or two before he realized that he was no longer wearing his glasses any longer. "Hm?" he held a hand up to his face and winced. "Where are my glasses?" he looked about the place before bringing his eyes back to land on Zim, who was hunched over him and had fallen back to sleep for a second time. "Zim?" he sat up just a bit to get a closer look. "Oh...He's asleep..." he said before flopping back down onto his back so he could just stare up at the blurry green and red figure of the alien for a while through half-lidded eyes. Noticing his antennae hanging down in front of his face, Dib then felt tempted to lean back up so he could close his mouth around one of them. Looking about, as though to make sure nobody else was looking, he pushed himself up just enough to give the tip of one of them a small lick with his tongue, enjoying the sweet, honey-like taste that met his taste buds.

Scrunching up his face for a second, Zim shifted a little in his sleep at the feeling of Dib's tongue against his antenna. "Mmmmm..." he nuzzled up against the sofa sleepily.

Blinking his eyes lazily a few times up at the other, Dib then decided to let Zim sleep in peace and so pulled away from his antenna to nestle his head back into Zim's lap and stare up at him for a while longer.

Opening his eyes slightly after a short while, it was only then that Zim caught sight of Dib staring back up at him. He blinked his eyes open even more, stretching up his arms for a second and rubbing the top of his head. "Mmm...Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" he let his eyes fall half-lidded again as he smiled sleepily at Dib.

Dib blushed a bright red. "N-No. I didn't." he looked away and became just a bit frantic, trying to think of what he could have possibly said and whether it might have been embarrassing. When he couldn't remember what any of his dreams had been that night however, he finally shifted his eyes slowly back to Zim. "So...Wh-What was I talking about in my sleep?" he asked before closing his eyes tightly and praying to God that it wasn't something embarrassing that the Irken would never let him live down.

Seeing Dib go all flustered again, Zim suddenly felt guilty for mentioning it. Perhaps telling him what he said would upset him even more? "Uhhmm...N-Nothing much. Just random stuff..." he smiled and ruffled his hair a little. "You get embarrassed so easily, Dib." he said with a small amused laugh.

Flushing an even deeper red when Zim ruffled his hair, Dib merely hid his face in a pillow. "That's not funny, Zim." he whined.

Zim sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry!...I don't intentionally keep trying to upset you, you know...Well, at least not recently anyway." he added at the end.

Peeking out from behind the pillow, Dib pouted at that last part.

Smiling back at him, looking amused, Zim then waved his hands at him quickly. "Umm...Forget I said that last part...Ahem...So, are you feeling any better today?" he asked, changing the subject.

His eyes falling half-lidded, Dib's blush died down just a bit as he tilted his head to one side lazily. "I think so...I at least don't feel as hot as I felt last night. But my throat is still killing me, and I have a slight headache...Though that might be because I don't have my glasses on." he looked around again in search of them.

"Mmm? Oh yeah." Zim grabbed the glasses from where he put them and placed them back over Dib's eyes. "I took those off you while you were asleep...Hmm...Well, at least you are showing some signs of recovery...Perhaps it just needs more time." he pressed a hand to his forehead again.

Letting out a small, content sound in the form of a low sounding hum from the back of his throat, Dib's eyelids fluttered closed at the feel of Zim's cool hand on his forehead again.

Blinking, Zim then smiled down at him, happy that he seemed comfortable now as he brought his other hand over to rest it there as well.

Nuzzling into the couch some more, Dib let out a small yawn before shifting his eyes partway open to look back up at Zim, following the other's antennae with his eyes.

Wondering what Dib was looking at, Zim looked at the human curiously, antennae twitching a tiny bit once he realized.

Zim's antennae dancing on top of his head, Dib silently continued to follow them with his eyes.

Blushing before then feeling a sharp pain in his back, Zim shifted uncomfortably and pressed a hand to the back of his spine. "Uh...Do you mind if we shift? I've been hunched over for hours. My back kind of hurts." he said, just wanting stretch so he could work the last of the kinks out of it before returning to sitting on the couch with Dib.

A blush making its way onto his face, Dib's eyes widened suddenly. "N-No! Of course not." he sat up slowly so Zim could move. "S-Sorry. You should have told me earlier it was hurting you. I would have moved." he said, suddenly feeling embarrassed for having not realized sooner.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 14. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3


	15. Chapter 15

Dib Is Sick Chapter 15: Taller

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Turning slightly to stretch out his legs, Zim pushed into his back with his hands until he heard a click sound and let out a sigh as he slumped back into the sofa. "Nah, it's okay. To be honest, I only just realized. Besides, it was the least I could do after poking you last night." he said before bringing up his hand to look at it. "Guess I don't know my own strength." he then said with a small smirk.

Staring at Zim for a few moments, Dib then shifted his eyes off to the side and frowned. "It wasn't really you...Everything was already hurting even before you poked me...My fever was making everything ache..." he said, hugging himself so he could run his hands up and down his arms soothingly. "I really shouldn't have yelled at you last night. It wasn't your fault. I'm sorry I blew up on you like that." he then said, looking back up at Zim sadly.

Looking at Dib, a little surprised, Zim then smiled again. "Pff...It's no big deal. Zim has dealt with FAR worse before. I can't blame you for snapping at me like that anyway. You looked like you were in a lot of pain last night...Also with the...Um...Hormones and stuff." he looked away himself.

"Hormones?" Dib sent Zim a slightly confused look now before suddenly remembering why Zim had been poking him in the first place. His face lit on fire. "Oh y-yeah! That! Heh...L-Let's just not mention that little incident again, okay?" he smiled nervously at the Irken, just wanting to change the subject now.

Knowing he'd hit a sensitive subject yet again, Zim just sighed. "Yeah, okay." he nodded. "And no more talk of hormones or puberty...It only reminds me that you're going to get taller than me eventually anyways." he frowned at the thought.

Dib's smile fell away to a frown at that. "Taller? Y-You don't know that for sure! And besides...Hasn't Earth's gravity caused you to grow taller too in the time you've been here?" he looked over Zim's body closely. "I'm sure you have. It's been a couple of years. And I don't recall you being quite so tall before. If we were back in my room, I could even find an old picture to compare you to." he said, having taken LOTS of pictures of the other over the years.

Zim looked at him wide-eyed. "Y-You really think that I've gotten taller!" he smiled, getting excited over such a simple thing. Realizing that Dib mentioned keeping pictures of him, his eyes then widened again.

Dib smiled warmly at Zim. "Yeah. I'm sure of it. You were definitely shorter back when you first came to Earth." he said before noticing the awkward look Zim was giving him now. "Hmmm? What?" he asked, wondering if he had said something to confuse the other.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts at the question, Zim smiled back at him happily, not wanting to get him all flustered again. "Oh, nothing. But YES! I just knew that I'd get taller!" he folded his arms and smirked. "And they said Zim would always be the very shortest. Pit-i-ful foools!" he shook his head and smiled back at Dib again.

Happy that he could make Zim happy, Dib smiled again before catching sight of Zim's antennae bouncing happily on top of his head. He smiled even more as he watched them.

Noticing Dib looking at his antennae again, Zim looked at the boy a little curiously before bringing a hand up to one of them. "Hmm...You seem to like these things, don't you?" he smiled at him again.

At the sound of Zim's voice, Dib was broken out of his hypnotic stare. "Huh? Wha? Oh!" he blushed a bit. "I-I guess..." he fidgeted in his spot a bit.

Tilting his head at Dib for a second, Zim then shrugged and pinged one of his antennas. "Myeah, well...In all honesty, they can be annoying sometimes. It's a pain when they get caught on things...Plus back on Irk, they got yanked a few times...which hurt...real bad." he frowned. "But I guess they come in handy when it comes to sensing things...And it feels kind of nice when they're touched." he blushed a little bit.

Dib blushed also. "I-I wouldn't know. Humans don't have them, though sometimes I wish we did, just to know what it's like." he continued to stare at them, tempted to touch one of them again.

Looking at Dib for a second, Zim suddenly caught on to what was running through his mind and leaned forward a little, turning his head slightly and twitching one of his antennas as he stared to the side shyly, blushing even more.

Fingers twitching as he played with them for a few seconds, Dib looked back and forth between the antenna Zim was offering him and the floor before finally reaching out to just ever so gently poke at the tip before pulling back, a slightly darker blush coming to his face as he smiled at the way it twitched back into place. Reaching up his hand again to take the long stalk gently between two fingers, he then lightly ran his fingertips up and down the length, his smile growing more and more.

Smiling at what Dib was doing with it, Zim then scooted in a little closer to him and closed his eyes, blushing harder at the feel of Dib's fingers running up and down his antenna. "Mmmm..." he leaned forward and turned his head a tiny bit more.

As a sort of apology for having gotten mad at the other last night, Dib affectionately ran his tongue up the length of Zim's antenna.

Beginning to enjoy this even more and wanting to get even closer to Dib, Zim moved himself to sit in Dib's lap so he could lean up against him, resting his chin on his shoulder and wrapping his arms around him as he nuzzled against his neck lovingly.

Dib's cheeks flushed a bright pink color. "Eh heh...Y-You're really enjoying this, aren't you? D-Do you want me to continue like this?" he asked, running his tongue up the length of it. "Or more like this?" he pulled the tip into his mouth to suckle at gently.

Zim shuddered a little. "Mmmm...Th-That." he pressed up against him a little harder, other antenna twitching a little for attention.

Licking his lips, Dib pulled away for just a second. "Alrighty then." he leaned forward and up a bit more to take the tips of both of his antennae into his mouth. "Mmmm...They're really sweet..." his voice came out a little muffled as he drank in as much of the sweet taste as he could, still unsure of what exactly he would describe them as tasting like but enjoying it nonetheless.

Enjoying Dib doing all this to him, Zim smiled widely at the boy's words as he suddenly felt a small tingling sensation throughout his entire body, something he had never felt before. "Hmmff." his heart began to beat a little faster as he pressed his tongue to Dib's neck to lick it affectionately like he had the first time Dib had done this for him.

Dib took in a sharp breath at the lick to his neck. "Mmmm...Zim..." he tugged just a little rougher on Zim's antennae, though not too rough so as not to hurt Zim.

"Ahh..." Zim shut his eyes tighter, getting more pleasure from that action as he continued licking his neck but a little faster now. Moving one of his hands to the bottom of Dib's PJ top, he then moved it underneath, unsure if he was doing it out of curiosity or some other feeling. Sliding his hand up his stomach, he blushed when he ran his hand over the boy's belly button, not knowing what it was exactly and hoping he hadn't overstepped his boundaries somehow.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 15. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Meh...I'm not even going to bother explaining all the different reasons why I waited until now to upload these chapters. Just be happy I'm even updating to begin with, you guys. Because quite honestly, I could have kept you all waiting a whole HELL of a lot longer for these chapters. My writing muse has left me for the time being and with it, so has my uploading muse. Lucky for you all, "Dib Is Sick" is already a completed story that just needs converting and uploading. But still, the conversion process from script to narrative takes a lot of time to do in the long run and it's hard to work on it when I'm not in the mood to write. So yeah...Hopefully my motivation comes back soon. But until then, here's a five chapter update to hold you guys over until Sass and I are ready to upload the next set of chapters on here.

Also, don't forget that both Sass and myself are holding a DIS fanart contest over on DA. Anybody interested in taking part in it should check out the details linked in my FF profile. And let us not forget that because this is a new set of chapters, yet another new preview image has been submitted by Sass over on DA. So if you'd like to check it out, I'll be sure to link it on my profile as well just as soon as I've finished uploading all these chapters.

As always, we appreciate every fave and comment we receive here on FF. And we hope those of you still reading will enjoy the following chapter updates. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 16: Ticklish

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Invader-Ara

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Curling in on himself a bit when Zim's hand passed over his belly button, Dib pulled away from the Irken slightly, his eyes shut and a small smile on his face. He couldn't help but giggle at the other's exploring hand. "Hey, quit it. I'm ticklish there." He said between small snickers.

Opening his eyes a bit at Dib's reaction, an evil smile crept onto Zim's face. "Oh really?" He lightly poked the boy's stomach a few times.

Noticing Zim's evil smile, Dib slapped his hand away, a deep blush on his face. "Stooop iiiit..." He tried to pull away just to have Zim pin him down and poke him some more. Bringing two hands up to his mouth, he then tried to keep his laughter in.

Zim laughed a little himself too now. "...Let's see if you're ticklish anywhere else." He said, putting both his hands on Dib's sides under his top so he could lightly move his fingers over those spots.

Slapping his hands even tighter over his mouth, Dib unintentionally let out a loud snort before rolling over onto his stomach underneath Zim and holding his breath as he brought his two hands up to flail at Zim.

Bringing an arm up to stop himself from getting hit by Dib's flailing at him, Zim burst out laughing at what Dib just did, now giving him random little pokes on his back with his other hand.

Dib let out a small whine at the pokes Zim was giving him. "Stoooop..." he wriggled about beneath Zim.

Zim giggled. "Ooohw...Okay." He stopped his poking and pressed his hand to Dib's back so he could run it along him soothingly, still laughing to himself a little from what had just happened.

Letting his body go limp now, Dib stopped his struggling as he rested his chin on a pillow, eyes falling half lidded as he blinked lazily at nothing in particular.

"Hmm..." Zim sounded out, guessing that Dib liked this and so slipping both his hands under his top to run around his back softly.

Tilting his head to one side so he could rest his cheek against the pillow now, Dib let his eyes finally slip all the way closed, a small humming noise escaping him as he felt himself falling back off to sleep.

Carrying on rubbing his back, Zim smiled, almost as if apologizing for tickling him earlier.

Yawning tiredly, Dib finally fell back off to sleep soundly.

Realizing Dib had fallen back off to sleep after a while, Zim stopped rubbing his back, looking at him for a few seconds and then sighing silently to himself. "...Great..." He looked around the room for a moment then back at Dib, carefully moving himself to rest on top of him so he could play around with his hair again, occasionally giving it little sniffs.

Shifting in his sleep onto his back so he could wrap his arms around whatever the warm thing pressed against him was, Dib huggled Zim close and nuzzled his face into the Irken's chest.

Blushing, Zim looked surprised for a moment before giving him a little love lick to his cheek and cuddling up with him comfortably, still running one hand through his hair carefully.

Wrapping his legs around Zim, Dib responded to the small lick to his cheek by curling in on himself a bit.

Blushing harder, Zim then smirked a tiny bit and ran his tongue along the side of Dib's face.

Curling in on himself some more, Dib let out a small whine at the feel of the other's tongue.

Hugging him with both arms, Zim then smiled again and nuzzled the side of his face.

After a moment or two, Dib settled. "Mmmm...Zim..." He murmured in his sleep.

"Hmm?..." Zim blinked at him, shrugging it off after a moment and bringing a hand up to rest on Dib's chest, lightly rubbing it and nuzzling his face against it again softly.

"Nyah...Ziiim..." Dib opened his mouth to yawn in his sleep but rather clamped it back down on one of the Irken's antennae. "Mmmm..." He tugged lightly at it in his sleep before just suckling on it gently, giving the tip a few small licks with his tongue every once in a while, collecting the sweet-tasting honey in his mouth.

"Eep!" Zim blushed to the extreme. "Mmmm..." He relaxed after a moment and planted little licks on his cheek, hand running along his chest still.

A red, red blush making its way onto his face, Dib's hands tightened on Zim's uniform top a bit in his sleep before relaxing again as he blinked his eyes partway open, entire face flushed now. Noticing Zim laying right next to him on the couch, he then suddenly let go of the Irken's antennae and tried to pull away from the other, his eyes wide and face on fire now.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 16. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3


	17. Chapter 17

Dib Is Sick Chapter 17: Dreaming

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Pressing his hands back into the sofa at Dib's reaction, Zim's antennae perked up in surprise as he stared back at the other blankly, blush re-forming again. "...Uhmm..." He shifted his eyes to the left and the right momentarily before bringing them back to land on the startled human.

Staring wide-eyed back at the Irken, Dib could only blush as he began shaking a bit, finally dropping his eyes down to his hands and fiddling with his fingers nervously.

Antennae lowering, Zim looked at him for a bit longer. "Dib...I-I...You were asleep and you umm...I thought..." He looked to the side awkwardly.

Still feeling a bit shaken by all this, Dib didn't want Zim to know that everything he had been doing to him had caused him to become slightly aroused in his sleep, something that had never happened to him before.

Frowning, Zim tilted his head at him. "What's the matter?" He asked, knowing now that something was up.

"N-Nothing!" Dib backed away from Zim a bit and hid his face in a pillow from embarrassment, bringing his knees up to his chest as though to hide from the other.

Zim looked at him sadly now. "...Why are you acting like THIS all of a sudden?...You seemed um...happy a minute ago...Were you dreaming again?" He asked, confused by Dib's sudden reaction to him.

"N-No! What makes you think that? Huh? HUH?" Dib laughed nervously, his blush never leaving. "Don't be ridiculous! I am perfectly fine! Yep! Nothing wrong with me! It's just...just...really hot in here!" He said, his face completely red by now.

Frowning again, Zim tossed a cushion at him. "You LIE!" He pointed at him.

Eyes snapping wide open at Zim's words, Dib began to panic, bringing his hands up to hold his head as he curled in on himself as tightly as possible, so horribly embarrassed now but reluctant to tell Zim what had happened. "Just...leave me alone! It's none of your business!" He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, wishing that he could just die in that moment.

Shaking his head, Zim sighed and crawled over to him to lightly stroke his hair with both hands in an attempt to calm him down before speaking softly. "Sometimes you're so hard to understand, Dib-stink." He said with a small smile.

Beginning to calm just a bit at Zim's gentle stroking, Dib blushed even more as it just reminded him of what had happened in his sleep. "You wouldn't understand, even if I told you...It's a human thing..." He brought up a hand to wipe one of his eyes dry.

Zim smiled at him warmly. "Well, only tell it to Zim if you want to. I'll do my best to at least try and understand..." He looked at him a little sadly now. "Y'know if... If it's upsetting you like this..." He said, not having meant to make the human cry.

Shaking his head, Dib sniffled wetly. "I'd rather not...Because...Because if you did understand, this entire situation would just become ten times more embarrassing! I hardly understand what the fuck just happened myself!" He exclaimed, having never had to deal with such a thing before.

"Dib." Zim frowned and took hold of his shoulders. "I no longer want you to feel embarrassed in front of me or feel that I will worsen things for you if you were ever to tell me what is upsetting you...You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I just...want you to let Zim take care of you from now on." he blushed and looked away for a second after saying that last part.

Lifting his head, Dib looked up at Zim, flushing a deep red before hesitantly leaning in to press himself against Zim, hiding his face in the other's chest. Breathing in shakily, he then finally mumbled something. "D-Do you remember that conversation we had yesterday...About Irken mating when I asked you whether you had ever wanted to DO anything like that, just to know what it was like? And then you asked me the same question right before saying that humans seemed to think about it a lot?" he began.

Wrapping an arm around him carefully, Zim looked down at Dib for a second and stroked the top of his head. "Yes...Yes, I remember." he nodded against the other.

"Well, I kind of...sort of...had a dream bordering on that idea." Dib said that last part fast before squeezing his eyes shut and hiding his embarrassed face as deep in Zim's shirt as he possibly could. He then mumbled into Zim's shirt. "And I've never had a dream like that before in my entire life!" he added at the end, not wanting Zim to get the wrong idea about him.

"R-Really?" Zim continued to stroke his hair softly. "What was it like? And...Isn't that normal for most humans anyway?" he asked, not seeing what the big deal was all about.

Peeking one eye out at the other, Dib blushed even more at Zim's second question. "Umm...Umm...I don't know...I guess...But I've never had one before now...And...And I didn't think I ever would...And it wasn't exactly what I was expecting if I ever did!" He hid his face again.

"Hmmm?...How so?" Zim gently rubbed his arm soothingly. "Wouldn't it just be like...Like mating with someone?" He asked, not knowing why Dib would find that so weird.

For a few long moments Dib remained silent. "...It was you..." he felt like crawling into a hole now and hiding there forever because he'd never been so embarrassed in his entire life.

Eyes widening, Zim's antennae flicked upright as he felt his face heat up to the max. "W-With...With Zim!..." he stared back at the other incredulously.

Dib pulled away suddenly from Zim. "I told you you'd never let me live it down!" He glared at him with angry, tearful eyes before running for the door, opening it, and then slamming it shut behind him so he could run away to anywhere that wasn't Zim's base.

Zim suddenly felt a huge wave of guilt come over him for reacting like that. "W-Wait...Dib!" he jumped onto his feet and ran to the door, pulling it open and looking around for him. "DIB, WAIT! I'M SORRY! PLEASE JUST COME BACK! DIB!" He called out into the empty street before realizing it was too late as the other was already long gone.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 17. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3


	18. Chapter 18

Dib Is Sick Chapter 18: Feelings

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Already too far out of range to hear Zim any longer, Dib continued running until he reached a small, nearby park where he could take a seat under a large tree and cry to himself in peace.

Running down the front pathway of his base, Zim stopped dead in his tracks to feel the top of his head and realized he was not in a disguise. "OH, FOR THE LOVE OF-!" He darted back inside to quickly put on his wig and contacts before shooting back out again to run down the street and look all around for Dib. "DIB!" He began to wander around the place aimlessly in search of him. "Dib, where are you!" He called out desperately, feeling a little sick now and crouching down in the middle of the street for a second hopelessly. He then bolted upright again. "No...I have to find him." He said to himself before walking off in the direction Dib had gone and calling out for him again.

It wasn't until about 15 minutes later that Dib bolted upright when he suddenly heard someone calling his name. Seeing Zim off in the distance, he panicked and ran behind the tree he had been sitting under to hide there, hoping Zim wouldn't notice him as he came nearer to that area. Peeking out from behind the tree to watch the Irken curiously, he then blinked some tears out of his eyes that were just replaced with even more tears.

Looking around, Zim wandered around the area near Dib. "I could have sworn-..." he frowned before kicking a nearby garbage can and growling angrily. "Dib! Will you just come out already! I'm sorry!" he slumped himself onto the bench Dib had been sitting at and held his stomach, his angry face soon becoming replaced with a sorrowful one. "...Why does everyone hate me...?" he sighed shakily and shook his head.

Peeking out from behind the tree at Zim's last few words, Dib then slowly stepped out into the open. "I don't hate you..." He looked away from the other to hide his face when Zim looked up suddenly, expecting the worse. Pressing his back to the tree, he slid back down to sit on the ground, his face hidden in his arms.

A big smile appearing on his face, Zim shot himself up off the bench. "DIB!" he bolted over towards him, slowing to a stop and looking over him sadly as he suddenly felt extremely guilty again. Crouching down in front of him, he then hugged himself a bit. "D-Dib...I'm sorry. It…It was foolish of me to react like that, right after I told you that you could trust me...You just caught Zim by surprise is all...But…Please...Just come back to the base with me." He looked at Dib pleadingly.

His face flushed as he tried to hold back his tears the best he could, Dib looked up from his arms at Zim. "C-Can you carry me? I don't feel well again." He said before returning his face to his arms and letting out a wet sob.

Smiling a little at him, Zim nodded. "Sure." he agreed, just about to scoop him up before he stopped himself to wrap his arms around him in a hug. "Thank you, Dib." He nuzzled against the side of his face affectionately. "...For not hating me." He added at the end.

Pressing his cheek gently against Zim's at the small nuzzle, Dib hid his face in Zim's neck and clung to him as the Irken scooped him up into his arms.

Holding Dib close to him as he carried him back to the base again, Zim walked through the door that had been left open and carefully set Dib onto the couch, closing the door and throwing his wig and contacts off into a corner before sitting himself down on the couch to look at Dib with concern and twiddle his thumbs nervously.

Still feeling horribly embarrassed about his dream, Dib stared down at his hands shyly, not knowing what to say or whether he even should say anything at all.

For a few seconds, Zim looked at him. "Dib...This is going to sound crazy, but...You know when you said you liked the taste of my antennas...?" He looked down onto his lap, a blush forming on his face. "Well...I...Uh...An Irken can only release that pheromone if they feel that they have found...I mean..." he blushed even more. "It just felt really good when you touched them...And I noticed that I started to get these strange feelings from it." he turned away to hide his face.

His tears just then beginning to dry, Dib lifted his eyes to stare at Zim. "Huh? Feelings? Wh-What kind of feelings?" he asked as he clutched the fabric of part of his pajamas tightly and twisted it nervously in his hands.

Zim looked at the other awkwardly. "I...I don't know really...It was like a weird tingly sensation running all over me...I'd never felt it before in my entire life, so I don't know what it was..." he shifted his eyes to the side, feeling rather embarrassed now himself. "Uhm...Sorry...Maybe I shouldn't have told you." He fisted his hands in his lap a bit.

"Oh..." Dib looked away also, a blush on his own face as he hesitated to ask anything more. "D-Did it make your heart beat faster, almost as though it would burst right out of your chest?" He finally got up the courage to ask.

A little surprised by that question, Zim looked back at the other and nodded. "Yeah! Exactly like that! Weird, huh?" he scooted a little nearer to him. "...Why?" He then asked, wanting to know how Dib had known all that.

Squirming around uncomfortably, Dib looked down at his lap. "That's how I felt...right after I woke up and saw you today. I thought I would suddenly stop breathing, it was beating so fast." he said, recalling every sensation that had come with waking up from that dream.

Blush not leaving his face at all, Zim stared back at him wide-eyed. "Really...?" he slowly brought a hand up to Dib's face. "But then why do you get so upset around Zim so much...? If what you felt was anything like what I did...It would have been a nice feeling." He said, antennae drooping a bit as he began to think that maybe it wasn't the same feeling.

"Because I'm not supposed to feel this way!" Dib pulled away to wipe at his eyes again.

Taking back his hand to rub it a little, Zim's antennae lowered down even more to rest limply against his head. "...Why?" his voice came out slightly strained now.

"I told you yesterday...I'm not gay...I'm not...I'm not supposed to be, not allowed...I'm not supposed to have feelings for somebody of the same gender as me, and an alien at that...It's just not normal...It's just something that's not accepted on this planet...Tell me, would YOUR planet accept such a thing? Especially considering they don't even allow mating at all on your planet!"

Zim looked back at him sorrowfully. "...I don't care!... I'm never going to get to go back there anyway!...Why should I have to conform to the rules of those who have betrayed and abandoned me…?" Tears began to slip out from his eyes as a blush formed on his face again and he stared at the floor.

Feeling as though his heart may burst at Zim's words, Dib clutched at his chest before crawling forward just a bit and reaching a hand out to wipe away his tears. "D-Don't cry...Please, don't cry...I don't want you feeling horrible just because of me..." He begged the other to stop before it all got him going again.

Looking back at him with large sorrowful eyes, Zim felt his emotions worsen suddenly as he pressed himself up against Dib to hide his face in his shirt, tears still slipping from them. "...I don't know what to do..." he gripped his shirt tightly. "I feel so alone here..." He looked up at him. "Y-You're the only thing left that gives Zim a purpose in life...And all Zim does is make you unhappy in return." He sobbed into his shirt.

Kissing Zim's head gently before pressing his cheek to it, Dib wrapped his arms around the alien. "Shhh...Don't cry...Just please, don't cry..." He gave one of Zim's antennae an affectionate little lick as a sort of apology for yelling at him.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 18. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3


	19. Chapter 19

Dib Is Sick Chapter 19: Stupid

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Calming down just a little bit at the small lick he received, Zim wrapped his arms around Dib and turned his head so he could press the side of his face comfortably against the boy's chest.

Rubbing Zim's back soothingly with one of his hands, Dib felt his heart beginning to beat just a little faster as he let his eyes fall half lidded.

Nuzzling up against him, Zim sat himself more comfortably onto the human's lap, his antennae rising back up a little to their normal position again as he began to calm down some more.

Bringing up his free hand to pet the antennae back lightly, Dib pressed his lips to one of them gently and then the other.

Tensing up a bit at the contact, Zim gripped onto Dib's top tightly. "Mmm." Zim's antennae twitched a tiny bit as Dib pet them gently, causing him to let out a contented sigh.

Feeling Zim tense up at his petting, Dib stopped. "S-Sorry. Do you want me to stop?" he asked, thinking he had hurt the other by accident.

Zim shook his head, however. "...It feels...Really nice." He said, rubbing his hands on Dib's back gently. "But...Only do it if you want to." He then added as he nuzzled up against him again.

"O-Okay..." Dib nodded and continued petting Zim's antennae back from the base of his head to the tips. "I...Didn't mean to upset you, you know..." He then said once he sensed that the other had calmed.

Blushing, Zim opened his eyes. "...N-No...It's ok..." he gripped Dib's shirt again and curled in on himself a tiny bit, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. "I was just...Being so stupid...C-Can we just forget that ever happened?" He asked, hating the fact that he had begun crying in front of the other.

Dib nuzzled a kiss to Zim's forehead gently. "You weren't being stupid...I was...I've been acting stupid a lot lately...But okay...Let's just...forget about it all and relax together a bit...I don't want anything to ruin this moment." He said, shifting his eyes closed as he cuddled up to Zim.

Closing his eyes also, Zim relaxed himself against Dib and hugged him tightly, smiling a bit to himself before sighing happily. "Mmm...I could stay like this forever." He said, rubbing his face gently against Dib's chest.

Dib sighed contently. "Me too..." He said before lying back on the couch with Zim on top of him.

Quickly giving Dib a little lick to the side of his face, Zim then sleepily rested himself back on him comfortably, bringing up one hand to rest on his chest.

Blushing as he watched Zim lazily, Dib blinked his eyes slowly closed, his vision beginning to fade little by little.

Opening his eyes to look up at Dib sleepily, Zim brought up his hand to carefully remove the boy's glasses before setting them on the floor and closing his eyes again to fall asleep himself.

Right before losing consciousness, Dib brought up one hand to gently caress Zim's face.

A few hours later, Zim finally began to feel himself waking up as he blinked his eyes open a little to look up at Dib. Carefully folding his arms over the sleeping human's chest to rest his chin on, he then just watched the other sleep, bringing one hand up to stroke his hair and smiling to himself at how cute Dib looked when he slept.

Face flushed, Dib's breathing shook in his sleep. "Mmmm...Zim..." He began to shiver a bit.

Thinking that maybe he could be having one of those 'dreams' he was talking about earlier again, Zim looked at him curiously for a moment, wanting to know for sure as he leaned in to run his tongue along the side of his face quickly before pulling back to see how he would react to this.

Letting out a small whine at the lick, Dib curled in on himself a bit, trying to escape the wet feeling on his cheek before rubbing it off on the closest thing to him which just happened to be Zim's face.

Trying to stop a giggle from escaping him at Dib's reaction, Zim stiffened up and blushed. Dib would probably never forgive him for this, but it was just too interesting for him to resist as he gave him a little peck on the face before running a hand down his chest slowly, all the way down to the base of his stomach, just above his crotch area. For a moment, he looked at the other curiously.

Body stiffening for a few moments as he tried to swat the other's face away from his cheek, Dib yawned in his sleep and shifted slightly to his side.

Moving his head out of the way quickly, Zim then shrugged, thinking maybe he should just let him rest as he gently cuddled back up to him again.

"Hmmm..." Dib squirmed about in his sleep a bit, trying to get comfortable again.

Trying to help him relax, Zim stroked his hair again, doing his best not to disturb him as he felt sleepy after a while and dozed off again.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 19. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3


	20. Chapter 20

Dib Is Sick Chapter 20: Awake

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Finally settling after a few moments of trying to get comfortable again, Dib continued sleeping soundly as the Irken fell off to sleep pressed up against him. "Zim, I...Mmmm..." He curled in on himself a bit.

At Dib's shifting, Zim blinked his eyes slightly open again. "Mmm..." he rubbed his eyes and looked at him sleepily. "Hmmm...You what, Dib?" he put a hand to his face.

Biting down on his bottom lip, Dib gripped Zim's shirt tightly before relaxing his fingers and coughing in his sleep a bit. "...Why's it so hot in here…?" He mumbled in his sleep before turning over again onto his other side.

A little confused now, Zim frowned at him. "Hmm?" He put a hand on his forehead.

Letting out a small whimper, Dib quit shifting about in his sleep so much at the feel of Zim's cool hand.

Unsure whether he should wake him up or let him sleep, Zim stared at him with concern now, gently stroking the side of his face with his other hand. "...Dib, are you in pain?" He asked the unconscious human.

Scrunching up his face for a brief moment, Dib wriggled his way back onto his back again before settling.

Frowning at him again, Zim shook his head. "You're weird, you know that?" He said before flopping himself down beside him and fiddling with his hair again.

It wasn't until about 45 minutes later that Dib finally blinked his eyes partway open, all the while bringing his hands down to hold his stomach as he sighed to himself. "My stomach's upset..." He mumbled before shifting his eyes over to look at Zim who had dozed off again.

Woken up by the sound of Dib's voice yet again, Zim shifted a little with a whine. "Uughh...Not again, stink-beast!" He snapped before rolling over.

Confused by those words, Dib blinked at him. "What did I do?" He stared at the other's back for a few long moments before rolling over himself onto his side, facing away from Zim. Closing his eyes, he then curled in on himself.

Sitting up suddenly, Zim turned over. "Oh...Heh...You're actually awake this time...Oops..." He looked down at him puzzled and lightly poked his arm. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, wondering why the other was facing away from him now.

Pouting, Dib peeked over his shoulder to glare at the Irken. "Yes, I'm awake! And...It's nothing...Just a bit of nausea...It should pass soon..." He said before turning back over so he was no longer facing Zim again, a small pout still on his face.

Frowning at him for a few seconds for lying to him, Zim opened his mouth to ask again but stopped himself and just sighed out softly in the quiet room. "...Oh...Ok." He cautiously brought up a hand to put on his back so he could rub it soothingly. "Does this help?" he asked, trying to make the other comfortable again.

Looking back behind himself at Zim a second time, Dib then rolled back over onto his back to stare up at the Irken better as he continued to hold his stomach. "No, but this might." he reached up to take one of Zim's antennae between two of his fingers so he could bring it down to close his mouth around, the sweet taste calming his stomach somewhat.

"Ahh!" Zim jolted a little, his face heating up suddenly. "Mmm..." He curled himself over Dib. "...O-Ok...But...I don't know how this helps exactly." He said between pleasured mewls.

Giving the antennae one last lick before speaking, Dib pulled his mouth away. "They're really sweet and...Oh...I don't know why...But the taste calms me for some reason. I think it might be because I'm not actually eating or drinking anything when I suck on them, which keeps my stomach from getting too much more upset." He said before pulling the tip back into his mouth.

Closing his eyes, Zim leaned on him to get more comfortable. "Mmm...Well, if it actually calms you down then I'm not complaining." He opened an eye to look at him. "But...Maybe you should try and eat something? Or at least drink something." He said, trying to keep a somewhat clear mind despite the other's attentions.

Pulling his mouth away from the antenna again, Dib's face fell at that suggestion. "I'm not hungry...Or thirsty...Just...Really really hot...And I don't want to swallow anything..." He pulled Zim's antennae into his mouth again stubbornly.

Curling up a little at the feel of his antenna going back into the other's mouth, Zim squeezed his eyes tightly shut. "Heh...O-Ok. That's fine with me if you keep doing this." He purred as the more rational side of his mind was completely overwhelmed by all the sensitive sensations he was receiving in that moment.

Blinking his eyes open, Dib looked at Zim. "Okay..." He flicked the tip with his tongue some more.

Grabbing Dib's PJ top tightly, Zim squirmed about a tiny bit, making some muffled giggles into the other's shirt as he continued his ministrations.

Swirling his tongue all around the length of the antennae, Dib tugged at it more, watching Zim's every reaction to what he was doing.

Turning his face to rest the side of it on the boy's chest again, Zim's hands tightened on his top. "Mmmm...Dib...That feels...so good." He said between pants as he felt his face becoming more and more flushed.

"Yeah? Well, what about this?" Dib asked as he brought up his free hand to lightly pinch Zim's other antenna, intrigued by how much touching them seemed to affect Zim.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 20. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3 Until next time~


	21. Chapter 21

Dib Is Sick Chapter 21: Lips

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Jolting at the small pinch to his antenna, Zim let out a little squeak before slapping a hand over his mouth, his antennae flicking at the action. Frowning, he then brought up a hand to Dib's hand on his antenna and moved it down so that it was making more of a rubbing motion rather than a pinching.

Dib jumped a bit at Zim's sudden squeak. "S-Sorry! D-Did I hurt you?" He asked, blushing a deep red in embarrassment.

Looking over at Dib, Zim let go of his hand and blushed a bit himself. "N-No...You're doing fine." He smiled at him reassuringly. "Anyways, less talking, more rubbing." He wriggled his antennas and pointed to them. "...Just...no sudden pinching." He blushed a bit more as he said that last part.

Dib blushed a bit more himself. "S-Sorry about that." He rubbed Zim's antennae gently. "I-Is that better?" He then asked once he had established a more steady rubbing motion.

Nuzzling against Dib, Zim closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. "...Mmm...Actually, you're amazing at this. Did you practice this with your 'voodoo doll' of Zim?" He asked, smirking over at him teasingly.

Dib's face flared up a bright red. "N-No! I...I...I didn't even know that your antennae were this sensitive to touch!" He exclaimed, looking away embarrassed.

Bringing his hands up to lightly ruffle Dib's hair, Zim laughed a bit at how flustered the other was getting and smiled at him apologetically. "Aw, you get worked up so easily, Dib..." he ran his hands through his hair gently, looking up at it now. "Hmm...It's too bad that you don't have antennas...so then I could do something nice for you too." He said, lighting combing his fingers through the black strands of Dib's hair.

Wishing he had something to hide his face behind now, Dib blushed an even deeper red at Zim's words and when the Irken ruffled his hair. He then felt his eyes falling half lidded a few moments later at the way Zim was running his fingers through his hair. "Humans don't have anything like Irkens have, but I wish we did. Personally, I never really liked the look of the human body all too much. It's kind of boring when compared to an Irken's body." He continued to watch Zim lazily before closing his eyes.

Looking down at himself and then back at Dib, Zim sat himself up on him now. "Really?" He smiled and gently ruffled his hair again. "Why? What do you like about Zim then?" He asked, wanting to know what the other found so intriguing about his race.

Dib's blush flared back up again. "W-Well, for starters, I-I've always really liked your eyes...And your antennae are pretty awesome too...A-And you've got really nice skin, a lot nicer than a humans...And your hands are pretty neat considering you only have three fingers..." He began listing off all the things he liked about Zim's build.

Giving Dib's hair little sniffs, Zim brought his face near and continued running his hands through the raven black strands. "Well, I've always kind of liked your hair...It's just so...fluffy! Irkens don't have any." He gently nuzzled his face against it. "And...You smell really good, which is weird because I never liked the smell of ANY human before...Or Irken, come to think of it." He said with a small affirmative nod.

Dib's face lit up a bright red at the nuzzle to his hair. "R-Really?" He began playing with his fingers idly. "Th-There was one other thing I liked about you, but..." He paused for a few moments before finally shaking his head. "Actually... Never mind. It's nothing. You'd just think I'm being stupid." He said, wishing he hadn't brought it up now.

Intrigued now, Zim leaned back to look at him. "Aw, but I want to know! How can it possably be stupid if it's about Zim?" He smiled widely at him, shaking his fists up and down anxiously. "Tell to Ziiim!" He then exclaimed all too excitedly.

His cheeks painted a deep red now, Dib looked away shyly. "Ummm...W-Well..." He looked back at Zim after a moment or two. "I-I was just thinking about how you have r-really nice lips..." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and blushed even more as he waited for Zim's reaction to his words.

Looking at him with a puzzled expression now, Zim leaned back to bring up one of his hands to his lips, tapping them lightly with two fingers. "Hmm...My lips?...Well, I wasn't quite expecting it to be that." He shrugged and smiled at him again. "But okay." He said, not complaining about it.

A blush still spread clearly across his face, Dib peeked one eye open to look up at Zim. "Well then, what WERE you expecting it to be?" He asked, wanting to know what the would have preferred him to say.

Zim smirked at him jokingly. "That I am just amazing and incredable!..." He shook his head and then shrugged again. "Nah. I'm just not so sure what you thought was so great about THAT is all." He brought his hand back to his mouth.

Blushing, Dib laughed nervously. "Heh...Yeah...I told you you would think it was stupid." He said, looking away again.

Leaning in nearer to him, Zim blinked at those words. "But I didn't think it was stupid." He leaned in more, brushing his lips against Dib's cheek before pulling away a tiny bit to smile at him.

Staring wide-eyed back at Zim, Dib's cheeks became a bright red as he brought a hand up to touch where Zim had kissed him. "Y-You didn't?" he said, a little surprised the other hadn't found it to sound stupid.

Feeling a blush begin to form on his own face now, Zim gazed back at him. "N-No...Why would I?" He asked, not understanding why the human would think he'd find anything he had to say 'stupid.'

"Well I...I just thought that you thought it was weird is all..." Dib began playing with his fingers again.

Staring at him for a while, Zim then finally leaned forward to lightly brush his lips against Dib's, eyes falling half-lidded and a deep blush making itself known on his face as he did this.

Tensing up for a few moments, Dib's eyes shot wide open until finally he began to relax again into the kiss. "Mmmmm..." he let his eyes fall closed, a blush spreading across his features.

Closing his eyes fully, Zim then ran his tongue up against Dib's lips before pushing himself into the kiss more, hands moving onto either side of Dib's face.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 21. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3 Until next time~


	22. Chapter 22

Dib Is Sick Chapter 22: Curious

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Feeling the Irken running his tongue into his mouth, exploring it completely while dancing with his own tongue, Dib moaned out lowly into the kiss, his entire body responding with small shivers as if anticipating something more.

Running a hand down Dib's chest to slide it under his top and up his back, Zim kissed him hungrily, tongue still exploring inside the human's mouth and heart beat suddenly increasing.

Feeling Zim's soft hands running up his back, Dib shivered noticeably underneath the Irken. "Mmmm..." he felt his fingers twitching at his sides, as though trying to grip something that wasn't there.

"Mmm..." Zim wrapped his legs around Dib's and moved his hand from his back to run his fingers slowly down his chest, reaching up his other hand to run through his hair.

"Ahh!" Dib groaned into the kiss a bit more when he felt Zim wrapping his legs around his own and trailing the fingers of one of his hands down his chest. Bringing his arms up to wrap around Zim's back, he then pushed himself up a bit more into the kiss.

Intrigued by how Dib reacted to his actions, Zim ran his hand down his side now, rubbing it a little and lowering it further and further down his side to run it across his waist while he kissed him back passionately.

At the feel of the other's hand dragging across his waist, Dib squirmed about underneath Zim a bit. "Ooohhh..." He pulled Zim's bottom lip into his mouth and suckled at it.

Bringing his other hand down from Dib's hair to grab one of his hands, Zim smiled a tiny bit before sliding it underneath his uniform shirt. "Mmmf." He slid his hand at Dib's waist farther down.

Peeking his eyes open to just barely open slits, Dib stared up at Zim as he slowly and hesitantly let his hand that was under Zim's uniform top trace small designs on the other's smooth chest. His breathing grew a bit heavier when he felt Zim's hand at his waist dropping lower down his body.

"Mmm." Zim moaned a bit at the feel of Dib's warm hand on his chest, moving his lips from Dib's mouth to his neck as he licked against it, giving it little sucks as his hand now caressed Dib's side where his butt was.

Jumping a bit in surprise and blushing when he felt Zim's hand near his bottom, Dib gasped lightly at the feel of Zim's lips on his neck, licking and sucking at the skin there, making his heart beat faster. "H-Hey! What are you-?" his voice became lost in a moan when he felt Zim bite down lightly on his neck, causing him to dig his nails into Zim's chest though not painfully.

"Ahh!" Zim gasped at the feel of Dib's nails digging lightly into his chest, causing him to suck onto the skin of his neck a little harder, lightly rubbing his teeth against it as his hand continued to caress his side.

His eyelids fluttering closed, Dib's entire body began to shudder as he let out a content mewling noise. "Mmmm…Zim..." He stuck out his tongue to wrap around the other's antenna so he could pull the tip into his mouth.

Sucking in his stomach at the sudden feeling against his antenna, Zim inhaled quickly before breathing out again slowly. "Uhh...Mmm...D-Dib." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he felt an odd sensation run throughout his body again.

Drinking in the sweet taste of Zim's antenna as his entire body had by now broken out into shivers in Zim's arms, Dib swirled tongue continuously around the tip of Zim's antenna. "Z-Zim...Wh-Whatever it is you're doing to m-me...just p-please don't s-stop..." He begged between pleasured licks and sucking.

Not even sure what exactly is was he was doing, Zim only knew that right then he just wanted to be all over the human. Lifting up Dib's PJ shirt, he then ran his tongue along the boy's chest, planting more licks onto it as he nuzzled his face against it occasionally, lowering both his hands back down his sides and grasping a bit at Dib as the other continued suckling on his antenna.

Arching his back slightly at the feel of Zim's tongue dragging itself across his chest, Dib moaned out louder, bringing his hands up shakily to rub at the base of both Zim's antennae while at the same time pulling the tip of Zim's free antenna into his mouth along with the one that he was already teasing with his tongue. He very gently bit down on them, grazing his teeth along the length of the thin appendages as he wrapped his legs even tighter around Zim.

Digging his claws lightly into Dib's sides, Zim gasped out loudly. "Ahh...D-Dib." His blush deepened and breathing quickened as he continued to run his tongue on Dib's chest, blushing even harder at feeling something of his harden and press against Dib.

Eyes snapping wide open at the feel of something hard pressing up between his legs, causing a jolt of pleasure to rip through his body in a matter of seconds, Dib's body responded with excitement, causing him to become slightly aroused again just like when he had had that dream about Zim. Face now a deep red in embarrassment, he then tried to pull his legs back and squeeze them together in an attempt to hide his arousal from the other.

Curling up a little in embarrassment at how his own body had just reacted, Zim noticed Dib beginning to squirm about underneath him and bring his legs together before stubbornly grabbing Dib by his legs and forcing them apart, pressing a hand in between them to find out whether the other had reacted in the same way he had.

Letting out a loud gasp, Dib's face lit up a bright red at Zim's actions. "H-Hey! Stop it! I..." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as he felt Zim squeeze his stiffening member through his pants, causing him to let out a strained moan at the sensation. Letting out a small whimper as he was so horribly embarrassed now, he then peeked an eye just barely open to stare at the Irken hovering above him. "Please...S-Stop..." He pleaded with the other to let him go of him as he struggled slightly to pull away.

Quickly moving his hand away, Zim's blush grew as he stared back at the other awkwardly for a moment.

Pulling his legs away from Zim, Dib then brought his knees to his chest, curling in on himself and hiding his face from Zim now.

For a few more seconds, Zim stared at him blankly. "I-I'm sorry...I was just...curious." He looked at him guiltily, hoping he hadn't upset him too much.

Lifting his head to stare at Zim with tearful, angry eyes, Dib sniffled wetly before responding. "Curious about what? Whether I had a penis down there or not? I thought you would have just assumed that already considering we took a sex ed class on it! You didn't need to start groping me between my legs like that!" He exclaimed before returning his face to his arms, thoroughly upset now.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 22. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3 Until next time~


	23. Chapter 23

Dib Is Sick Chapter 23: Reaction

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

His blush not dying down on his face at all, Zim's eyes widened at Dib's sudden outburst as he felt himself getting very flustered now. "N-No! I already knew...THAT...I...I just wanted to see if-" He shook his head and waved his hands up in front of him quickly. "Gah! Look, I'm sorry! Zim will NEVER do that to you again, okay?" He pulled down on his antennae in discomfort.

His eyes no longer angry but still filled with tears, Dib lifted his head slightly again when Zim didn't finish his previous statement. "You just wanted to see if what? There's no point in apologizing if you won't even tell me what you were really trying to do..." He said, hating how Zim was suddenly dodging the issue at hand.

Letting go of his antennae to bring up his hands and press his fingers together nervously, Zim looked back at him with a little fear and embarrassment in his expression. "...T-To...To see if...if you were..." He grabbed a cushion to hug in front of his face as he spoke into it, voice muffled now. "...doing the same thing as Zim." he said quickly, hoping he wouldn't have to repeat himself after this point.

Blushing, Dib blinked his eyes open all the way at Zim's words. "O-Oh...Th-That..." He hugged himself tightly and looked away shyly. "W-Well...D-Did you get your answer?" He said, returning his face to his arms after a moment.

Hugging the cushion over himself tighter, Zim sank down a bit more. "...Mmhm." His antennae began to twitch a tiny bit from how horribly uncomfortable he suddenly felt, his frown never leaving as he blushed extremely into the cushion.

Dib dropped his voice down to an even lower whisper at that response. "...Y-You could have just asked, you know..." He mumbled, blushing and squeezing his legs together tighter.

Pouting at those words, Zim pulled the cushion down from his face and tossed it at him lightly. "Pff!..." He folded his arms and looked to the side. "I just didn't think it would upset you so much, okay!" He shook his head and looked over at him again but this time with a more calm expression. Moving his eyes to one side, he then mumbled out a quiet apology. "Sorry." he said, tone of voice anything but sincere in that moment.

Blinking his eyes wide open when the cushion was thrown right at his face, Dib glared a bit over at the Irken sitting across the couch from him. "You didn't think it would upset me so much? How would you feel if our roles had been reversed and I had done that to you?" He threw the cushion back at Zim.

Jolting at the cushion being thrown back at him, Zim grabbed it quickly before it could hit his face. "No! Otherwise I wouldn't have done it in the first place! And...I-I don't know...But I wouldn't start crying or get mad at you!" he said, squeezing the sides of the cushion while frowning back at Dib.

Dib's eyes narrowed even more at that response. "Oh really?" He pushed himself up so he could lean forward over Zim and grab his legs. Forcing them open with one arm just to pin Zim down with a hand when the other started struggling to get away, he then brought his free hand down to grab the Irken right between the legs, not roughly but firmly enough to let the other know he meant business. "Well, I'd like to see how you do react then!" he gave the slight bulge in Zim's pants a small rub.

"Ah!" Zim jumped in shock at the sudden advance, eyes widening to look at the other in disbelief as he struggled to free himself, face suddenly feeling like it was on fire as his cheeks turned a dark green color. Trying to scoot away from the other, he then let out a sharp gasp when Dib rubbed a hand against his member, his eyes shutting tightly as he flailed his arms at him. "R-Release meee!" His voice shook as panic began to set in.

"HA! Like you did when I told you to stop?" Dib gave Zim's member a small squeeze now.

Squirming about underneath him, Zim gasped out loudly at the small squeeze, beginning to feel slightly aroused now. "Uugh!...B-But I did stop as soon as you told Zim to!" He dug his claws into Dib's arms, eyes still tightly shut as he tried to push him away again but failed. Opening his eyes, he then glared up at Dib hatefully, blush still plastered across his face clearly.

"Not right away, you didn't! You felt the need to give me one more good squeeze before backing off!" Dib glared down at Zim, wincing a bit at the feel of the other's claws digging into his skin just to smirk when he saw the hateful glare Zim was sending him. "Ah, there it is. That anger. Just as I expected. You're no different from me. Your reaction to this is exactly the same as mine was!" He said, narrowing his eyes on the Irken beneath him even more.

Looking up at the other with fear in his eyes now, Zim's heart was racing as he tried to push Dib away but failed yet again. He then pressed his hands into the couch, hopelessly attempting to drag himself away from the other.

Continuing to glare down at Zim for just a few moments longer, Dib's eyes then shot wide open at the look of fear he saw in Zim's eyes. Loosening his grip on the other, his arms began to shake unsteadily. "Wh-What am I doing? I..." He pulled away suddenly, getting back to his feet and taking a few steps back away from the other. "I...I don't know what..." He looked down at his hands which were shaking before he gripped his bleeding arms tightly and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. "I'm going home now! I'm sorry!" He said quickly before turning to open the door and run out, not even bothering to close it first as he left the premises as quickly as he could.

Looking at the other in a mixture of disbelief and confusion as he watched him leave the room, Zim then pulled himself back up onto the couch, sitting there for a moment as he wasn't really able to take in what had just happened. A voice inside his head started screaming at him to chase after Dib, but he felt himself unable to move in that moment as he was still in a bit of shock. Eventually, he was able to pull himself up from the couch however and dart over to the door. But the hope that Dib might still be in sight was quickly dashed as he looked about outside for the other, not able to see him anywhere and hesitant to go and look for him again. So rather, he slowly closed the door behind him after a moment before making his way back to the couch and curling up with a cushion which he hugged to himself and buried his face into sorrowfully.

Meanwhile, back at the Membrane residence, Dib threw open the front door to his house in a hurry before storming upstairs in a mess of different emotions.

Hearing his son entering the house, Professor Membrane looked up from his place on the couch next to Gaz. "Where have you been, son?" He addressed Dib as the boy began heading his way up the stairs to his room.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Dib ran past the both of them to his room, slamming the door shut loudly behind him and locking it.

Professor Membrane shook his head a bit. "My poor, insane son..." He said before returning his attention back to the television program he was watching with his daughter.

Shaking and crying by now, Dib wasted no time at all in crawling back into his bed. Noticing the photo album he had been showing to Zim earlier sitting off to the side, he then glared at it before picking it up and throwing it off to one side, causing it to hit a wall and all the pictures to scatter across the floor of his room. "I'm such an idiot! I don't want to ever leave this room again..." He said before breaking down completely, hiding his face in his pillow and crying himself back to sleep.

Laying in the silence of his base for the next few hours, Zim, meanwhile, just stared up at his ceiling, his mind racing. He thought that perhaps he should wait for Dib to come back, but then again, knowing Dib, the other was so stubborn he'd probably never leave his room again. Sitting himself up with a sigh, he then hugged the cushion from earlier tightly to himself. Either way, he was far too impatient to just wait around. So standing himself up onto his feet after a moment's consideration, he quickly ran down to retrieve something from his lower base before finding Gir and charging back to the door again.

"Woo! Where we going, Masta?"

"Shut up!" Zim put on his disguise and dragged Gir behind him on a leash, slamming the door shut behind him as he headed in the direction of Dib's house, pretty sure the human would be there.

Blinking his aching eyes open after having slept for the past couple hours, Dib just stared up at his ceiling before slowly trying to push himself up in bed. Pulling back when a sharp pain shot through his body from his arms, he then looked down at them to see that they were still covered in blood and groaned. "Great..." He carefully pushed himself up again to stand on his feet, tugging his pajama top off to take to the laundry room before looking down at his bed and noticing that the sheets and one of the blankets were also covered in blood. "Oh for the love of!" he snatched them up with his pajama top and unlocked the door to his room so he could carry everything down to the laundry room before returning to his room to search through his closet for spare sheets, clothes, and blankets. Looking down at his arms again, he then frowned. "Oooowww..." he sounded out, knowing he needed to take care of those too.

Finally arriving at Dib's house, meanwhile, Zim could only stare up at it as doubt began creeping into his thoughts. What if Dib just didn't want to see him ever again? "Uh...Maybe this isn't such a good idea." He said, turning to walk away just to be stopped by Gir gripping his leg again.

"But I thought you was going to see Dib!"

"No...And keep your voice down, Gir." He folded his arms before looking up at Dib's window. "I somehow don't think he'd be too impressed if I suddenly appeared at his window again anyway." He sighed to himself.

Running up to the front door, Gir then pushed it open with ease. "But the front door's open, see!" He ran back over to his master and pushed him towards it. "C'muuuun!" He tried to convince Zim to go on in through that way.

Hesitantly, Zim moved himself towards it. "F-Fine...But if everything goes horribly wrong, I'm blaming you." He took a deep breath before peaking in, Gir saluting before walking on in ahead of him. No one was around inside as Zim walked in more before carefully closing the door behind him. Looking around as he walked in, he then felt an uncomfortable feeling building in his squeedly spooch. Looking up the stairs, he jumped a bit at hearing someone walking around on the floor above him.

Making his way down the hall to the bathroom with a towel, Dib passed right by Gaz's room just as she was opening the door to head downstairs.

She eyed Dib. "What happened to you?" She asked, though the tone of her voice was enough to tell him she really didn't care.

Dib glared at her with red, puffy eyes. "It's none of your business!" He said before walking into the bathroom and slamming the door shut and locking it.

Gaz just shrugged it off. "Pfft...Crybaby..." She mumbled before making her way towards the stairs so she could head down into the kitchen to grab a soda. Not noticing Zim at first as he ducked behind a small table near the entryway with Gir, it wasn't until she exited the kitchen again to head upstairs to her room that Gir knocked over a vase on the table, breaking it and catching her attention as she turned on Zim and Gir. "What the-? Zim? What the hell are you doing in our house?" She glared at the Irken.

Zim scowled over at Gir for blowing their cover. "Nice one, Gir!" He stood up to stare back at Gaz, bringing a hand up to point at her now. "Gaz-sibling, it is important that I see your brother immediately." He folded his arms and looked around. "If he's here, that is." He then mumbled, looking off to one side.

"Oooh! Spooky lady!"

Watching as Zim smacked Gir for saying that, Gaz just stood there and stared at them a few long moments. "Whatever...He's locked himself in the bathroom upstairs." She turned to head back upstairs to her own room without saying so much as another word to the two.

Watching her walk away, Zim then looked back down at Gir again. "Gir, stay here...and...um...try to re-assemble the vase you knocked over or something." He said, not wanting the android coming along with him.

"Yes, sir!" Gir saluted again before plunking himself down on the ground to play around with the pieces of the broken vase.

Sighing to himself, Zim then walked his way up the stairs and looked over at the bathroom door, thinking perhaps it would be best not to disturb him and so making his way over to his room which he had left open instead. Letting himself in, he then noticed the photos scattered on the floor, picking them up carefully and putting them back into the album as he sat himself on the human's bed. He was happy to be doing at least something to distract himself from the discomfort that came with waiting for Dib to return.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 23. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3 Until next time~


	24. Chapter 24

Dib Is Sick Chapter 24: Love

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

About 15 minutes after Zim's initial arrival, Dib, having taken quick shower and bandaged up his arms, unlocked the door to the bathroom and walked out with only a towel wrapped around him as he carried his pajama pants in one arm back to him room with him. Using his free hand to rub the bandages on his other arm soothingly as he stared down at his feet the entire way back, he then entered his room and turned around to lock the door behind him, not even noticing Zim sitting on his bed until he turned back around. Eyes shooting wide open, his face flared up a bright red upon lifting his head to see Zim waiting there for him. "What the-? Zim? What the hell are you doing in my room?" He made a dash for the closet to hide in just to trip over his own feet and land smack on his face. He groaned. "Oooowwww..." He brought up a hand to rub at his now sore nose.

Feeling his heart jolt suddenly in his chest when he saw Dib first walk in without even noticing him, Zim jumped a bit in surprise at Dib falling over before putting aside the photo album to walk over and lean over him. "Ummm...You ok?" He asked awkwardly, offering a hand to him to help him up.

Staring wide-eyed at the hand being offered to him, Dib didn't take it however as he quickly got back to his feet and backed up until his back was pressed against the door, a deep blush on his face given he had nothing on underneath the towel that was wrapped around him in that moment. "Wh-What are you doing here?" He asked in an all too rushed voice.

Blushing a bit himself, Zim looked at his body for a moment then up at his face. "Umm...I was just...checking to see if you were ok, is all." He shrugged and then looked at the bandages on his arms with a little surprise.

Rubbing his arms, Dib looked away shyly. "O-Oh...I'm fine..." He then looked back at Zim after a moment. "And you?" He asked, this situation suddenly feeling all too awkward for him.

Looking to the side, Zim folded his arms. "Well...I've been better." He said before moving his eyes to look at the bandages again and walking over to him to get a closer look. He then looked back up at Dib with slight concern in his expression. "D-Did I do this to you?" He asked, having not realized he dug his claws so deeply into the other's arms.

Face flushing at Zim's sudden closeness, Dib shifted his eyes off to one side again before letting them fall half lidded as he nodded his head slowly before turning his attention back on Zim. "But it was my fault! If I just hadn't..." He found himself unable to finish his sentence as he merely shrank down a bit in his spot, playing with his fingers and staring at the floor.

Taking a step back to give him some space, Zim blinked and looked up at him with guilt before folding his arms and staring at the floor. "Just...forget about it. It doesn't matter." He said though shuddered slightly at the memory of what had taken place back at his base.

Lifting his head suddenly, Dib looked at Zim at those words. "Yes, it does! It does matter! I should have never done what I did to you! And I'm still trying to figure out WHY I even did it! Because...Because I've never done anything so cruel to anybody else up till now!...And I don't want to think I'm becoming like that..." He hugged himself and squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

Zim looked at him rather sternly for that sudden outburst. "Because we are too used to being cruel to one another, perhaps not in such a crude way but still...I guess everything just seemed to change too quickly all of a sudden." He took a step nearer to him again and looked at him more calmly. "But I didn't come here to make you beat yourself up about it or feel worse over the whole situation. It was equally Zim's fault." He shifted his eyes to the side. "...I just came because...I wanted to see you...That's all." He said with a small affirmative nod.

Pressing his back to the door of his room, Dib opened his eyes to look back at Zim before sliding down to sit on the floor. "I've been wanting to see you since almost the moment I left...But...But I couldn't bring myself to go back there...Not after everything that had just happened...I wanted to apologize, but...I just couldn't bring myself to do it! I thought that you would just reject me!...Like everybody else seems to do..." He sighed out shakily, slumping a bit in his spot.

Smiling, Zim sat himself down in front of him, folding his arms and shaking his head. "Yep. I knew you'd be too stubborn to come back." He drew his attention to his hands and played around with his fingers nervously. "Admittedly, I thought you would have wanted nothing to do with me after all that. Coming here was kind of scary." He smiled up at him jokingly. "Especially after you went all psycho on me like that." He then looked at him with a more serious expression. "But Zim would never have rejected you, Dib." he said, reaching out a hand to touch Dib's shoulder lightly.

Dib's face fell a bit more. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I didn't mean to do any of that!" He suddenly leaned forward to cling to Zim's chest, hiding his face in the other's uniform top as he broke down. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Even I'm afraid of me now because of what I did! I didn't want to go back to you because I was afraid I'd do something stupid again! Things were never supposed to go that far! And the fact that they did makes me hate myself!" he shook slightly in Zim's arms as he said all this.

Staring back at the other sternly again, Zim grabbed the sides of Dib's face and forced him to look up at him straight in the eyes. "No! I don't ever want to hear you say that about yourself again. Hating yourself over this is foolish, especially as it all happened because of MY ignorance and curiosity." He said before looking at him with a calm expression again and carefully pulling him into a hug. "Besides...You're the most amazing person I've ever met, Dib." he spoke softly into the other's ear.

His body shaking with emotion as he hugged Zim back, Dib broke down in Zim's arms all over again, squeezing his eyes shut as he hid his face in the other's shirt, his next few words muffled. "...I love you, Zim..." his voice came out in a hushed whisper just loud enough for the other to hear with his antennae.

Blushing suddenly at hearing those words, Zim's eyes widened. "...I...I think I..." He looked at Dib for a few seconds before then gently stroking the top of his head. "... l-love you too." He said back to the other, the realization having only just dawned on him in that moment.

Eyes snapping wide open and face flushing at hearing the other's response to his words, Dib pulled his face away from Zim's shirt enough to stare up into the Irken's eyes. "Y-You do?" He sniffled wetly before closing his eyes and leaning up to press his lips to Zim's gently, pulling away after a moment or two to trail his lips down to the other's chin and then neck, nuzzling sweet kisses to the soft skin there, the last of his tears falling away to leave wet stains on his cheeks.

Hugging him close tightly, Zim closed his eyes as Dib kissed against his neck before running a hand through his hair and burning his fingers slightly from the dampness but just not caring about that right then. "...Always..." he nuzzled against his forehead before planting a little kiss onto it.

Licking Zim's neck gently in a small show of affection, Dib then lightly grazed his teeth along the surface of Zim's skin, suckling at the abused skin there before giving it one last little kiss and trailing his lips down even further, tugging at the other's shirt to expose more skin around the area between his neck and shoulder. "Mmmm..." he sighed out contently.

Gasping out a bit at the feel of Dib kissing against his bare skin, Zim felt himself wanting more in that moment as he brought a hand up to quickly brush off his wig and free his antennae. "Mm..." he ran his hands up Dib's back to his shoulders, pulling him into him more.

Loosening his grip on the Irken's shirt, Dib seated himself in Zim's lap so he could run his hands up under the uniform top.

Pressing his face just below Dib's neck to nuzzle and lick against him affectionately, Zim's face heated up more at the warm touch against his bare skin as he rubbed his hands along his back.

At the Irken's nuzzling and licking, Dib let out a small gasp. "Zim..." he peeked his eyes open and noticed Zim's antennae hanging just a few inches above his head. Reaching up a hand to take one and rub it between his fingers, he decided to give them a rest from constantly being in his mouth.

Arms wrapped around Dib very tightly now, Zim shuddered and leaned his head back a little. "Mmmm..." he smiled widely and nuzzled back into him again, rubbing his hands gently on his sides now.

Blinking lazily at Zim's antennae, Dib watched them bounce on his head as he rested his chin comfortably on the alien's shoulder and ran his hand up and down Zim's back, one under the shirt and the other not. Reaching up the hand not under the shirt, he then flicked a finger at the very tip of one of the antennas, the other's closeness a welcome relief to him.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 24. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3 Until next time~


	25. Chapter 25

Final A/N: Okay...This will be my last time re-uploading this chapter, you guys. I promise. I want to make an example of one of our readers though of EXACTLY why I am not posting this chapter on FF AND not sending it personally to anybody on here. Quite honestly, when I SAY this chapter is meant for mature audiences, I MEAN it. This little shit, however, is nothing but immature and a perfect example of the reason I refused to send this chapter out to anybody in a personal message. Feel free to read through this entire conversation I'm about to post and do keep in mind that any other messages I get from anybody that run along these lines WILL be reported AND the users blocked.

Fallenangelqueen: "Authors note was rude

and while at it wouldn't it just be easier to post it on here? People would stop bugging you. Seriously that's the reason why you can make stories rated M on here, exactly for those scenes...

And I'm pretty sure most people DONT wanna make an account on that website...that's why their on THIS website...

Not trying to be rude, buy just stating my opinion."

Pat: "Wow...How annoying. -_-; My A/N is NOT rude. I stated very clearly in my FIRST A/N ALL my reasons for doing things the way I did. I find it rude that people can't be bothered to just make an account on either of the two mentioned sites. Did you not READ my first A/N? FF doesn't provide an M rating for people to post up sexual content on their site. They even have a RULE on their site STATING that sexual content is prohibited here. If you actually took the time to read their site rules, you'd know that.

Just because some people happen to get away with posting sexual content here doesn't mean ALL people get away with it. Like I said in my FIRST A/N, I have HAD ENTIRE STORIES REMOVED for posting chapters containing sexual content in them before. I refuse to risk having all 25 of these chapters deleted just because you people tell me to post it here. The fact of the matter is, that's content that's not acceptable here. It IS acceptable, however, on FA. And on DA, the admin will at least only delete the ONE chapter if they decide to rather than the entire story. So I find it very direspectful having you guys demand that I risk it on a website that states very clearly in its TOS, "FF reserves the right to decide whether Content or a User Submission is appropriate and complies with these Terms of Service for violations other than copyright infringement or privacy law, such as, but not limited to, hate crimes, pornography, obscene or defamatory material, or excessive length. FF may remove such User Submissions and/or terminate a User's access for uploading such material in violation of these Terms of Service at any time, without prior notice and at its sole discretion."

Pornography refers to anything sexual posted here. I know. I've had them remove past stories before for posting up single sexual chapters. I don't see how the hell it is you people can't seem to get that fact through your minds enough to realize that I am NOT going to risk it again. This matter has nothing to do with being "easier" It has to do with taking risks that I don't want to take. If FF REALLY allowed the posting of sexual content on their site, ADULTFANFICTION wouldn't even exist strictly for the purpose of posting up sexual content. You need to pay better attention to site rules. I'm not an idiot. I've been on FF for EIGHT YEARS, long enough to know how this site works. According to your profile, you've been here only a little over ONE. So don't you be acting like you know all there is to this site just yet. You'll come to learn that FF isn't as simple as just giving your stories an M rating. That doesn't mean shit to FF admin. If a story with sexual content is brought to their attention, they WILL delete it.

YOU may not want to make an 18+ account on FA or DA, but don't assume that every single one of our OTHER readers thinks the same as you. Plenty of our younger DA members had no problem creating 18+ FA and DA accounts to read this chapter when we first posted it over on those sites. It's really not MY problem if you people can't accept the fact that it's not going to be posted here on FF. And NO. People DON'T come here to FF for those types of chapters. Coming onto FF means coming to terms with the fact that not everybody here will post sexual content on the site. Sure, SOME people may get away with it, but one report and FF admin will remove those stories entirely. What it comes down to is that this site isn't meant for you people to read sex scenes on. Never was meant for that and never will be meant for that. It's to read good stories. The M rating for stories is only meant to cover violence, perhaps SOME sexual themes (meaning nudity if it takes place), and foul language.

They even SAY in their rating system what certain ratings are for. The highest rating you can give on FF is an M, which allows for NON-EXPLICIT adult themes. If FF allowed people to post MA rated things, it'd be a different story entirely. But they say in their rating guide, "Please note FF does NOT accept explicit content, Fiction Rating: MA, and the rating is only presented for reference."

Even if you ARE only trying to state an opinion, I find it rude in the fact that you had to bring this up to me again when I already asked in my A/N for you guys NOT to ask me to post it here. I am following FF rules. You can't sit here calling me rude just because you people want me to break those rules for YOUR reading benefit. There is no getting around the fact that what you're asking me to do is strictly prohibited. Please respect my decisions enough in the future not to gripe at me about following FF protocal. Thank you.

P.S. If you plan on responding back with some raging and immature comment for me saying all of this, then just know that chances are I won't respond back. I only care to respond to people who have maturaty levels high enough to respect what I'm saying to them. If you're going to get angry and go on some rampage about my decision, then perhaps it IS better you not read the chapter at all. I DO say in my A/N that the chapter is for "MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY" You only prove how immature you are if you can't come to terms with an author's decision of where and how they post." 

Fallenangelqueen: "Hm got to the first word and decide. I'd rather not waste my time reading that.  
>I DO know that rules I have read them and I have never seen someone have their story deleted because of sexual content. Never heard it until now and im pretty sure I don't believe it as far as it goes<br>whatever I don't give a ** anymore the M-rated version probably sucks ** like the PG-13 one did.

And YES you WERE rude in your A/N an trust me because I've done that before. You want people to pay attention to something important? Be blunt and clear about it don't type some huge three paragrpah stating something nobody really cares about and maybe you shouldve warned people about the website link and how you need an account, because I've already discussed with a few readers on here and they said that ** them off too. You didn't have to go and attack everybody for your mistake of not informing us correctly  
>And you can't call me immature when you are the one spazzing out and sending me a ten-** somethng paragraph PM which I'm clearly not gonna read. If you can't handle other peoples opinions and thoughts that's your fault.<br>You didn't have to be a freak and flip out, I mean damn you couldve been polite and blunt and just tol me the reason. I hope you realize that I wouldve been fine with a simple explanation instead of well that ** message you sent.

Whtever

don't respond I'll just delete it I don't waste time on people who can't handle my opinion and spaz out like a ** retard... I hve better things to do"

Okay. Now let me break this down for you guys. First of all, if this viewer KNEW the rules, she'd realize that my comment to her about the rules is 100% true considering the fact that I QUOTED the fucking rules to her in my response. You can't claim to know the rules if you won't even acknowledge what was quoted directly from the site.

Second of all, claiming that just because you've never seen it happen on here before does NOT mean that deletion doesn't happen. I can assure you guys that I HAVE had stories deleted in the past. If I hadn't, I wouldn't go through all the trouble of posting these sorts of chapters on other sites. I'd just post them here and move on with my day. It's pretty stupid to assume that the only reason I'm not posting them here is because I want to annoy you guys and make you work for it. I'm not that sinister. I know how this site works, what is allowed, and what is NOT allowed.

If the PG-13 version sucked so much, this viewer wouldn't have contacted me in the first place to ask I send her the M version. Enough said. Stating that a story sucks just because you don't get your way is rather immature and I really don't care to put up with stuck up underage brats who can't be bothered to follow a few simple rules.

Wow? Really? I didn't WARN you guys enough about the website in my A/N? Now THAT is a load of complete and utter bullshit. If this viewer had bothered to read my first A/N, she would have SEEN that I stated very clearly from the beginning that you needed to have an account to read the DA/FA versions of the story. I didn't "keep it a secret" from you guys or "make the mistake of not telling you," as this reader assumes I did. So saying that I "didn't warn you guys enough" is complete and utter shit. Seriously, use your eyes, you guys. I assume the majority of you aren't blind. And the reason I post long A/N's sometimes is BECAUSE I don't post them all that often. You'd think you guys would have the courtesy enough to actually read what I have to say WHEN I have to say it.

I attacked you guys? Please point out exactly where I did that. So far as I'm concerned I merely requested you guys stop messaging me about sending it to you personally. As another viewer pointed out, I could get in some serious legal shit by knowingly sending it in a PM to any obviously minor readers on here. If you guys want to read/look at porn, then don't sit here expecting to get special treatment just because you're 're NOT special just because you're underage and like everybody else, you should be willing enough to make your own accounts elsewhere for that type of stuff.

Does anybody see me flipping out in my response to this girl? I stated the rules to her. She took it as a personal attack. If that's not immature, then I don't know what is. And as far as "respecting her opinion goes" she's just as guilty as I am given I stated my own opinion in an A/N, which she had the nerve to direspect herself in both her first response to me as well as her reply to my comment. Who knew that typing out a long response to somebody automatically means I'm "flipping out at them" Once again, this girl shows her incompetence by not even bothering to read everything I just said to her. If she's really so simple-minded that she needs me to dumb down my responses to her just so she can realize it wasn't an attack, then I honestly don't even see a point in trying to reason with this girl any longer.

I have better things to do with my time also, you guys. But I MAKE time to come on here and update this story whenever possible. The only retard in this situation is the bitch bawwing over my decision not to post here. The world doesn't revolve around her or anyone else though. Any future comments made about how "rude" I am for deciding not to post here will be, like I mentioned before, reported as spam and the users blocked. For those who try to get around it with anonymous reviews, just know that I'll block anonymous reviews also should this continue. Those of you reading can either prove to me how mature you are by respecting my final decision about how to post. Or you can prove how immature you are by raging at me about how you didn't get your way. I'll leave it up to you guys. I really don't care any longer and quite honestly don't have any problems with just blocking all the immature underage users reading this.

On a side note, however, I WOULD like to send out a special thank you to SaiyanQueenVega for her VERY kind review. She obviously read what I said in my A/N, took the time to understand why I'm doing things the way I am, AND respected my final decision enough not to baww at me about it. If she could make sense of what it is I was saying in my first two A/N's, then obviously the rest of you should be able to make sense of it too. Nobody here has any excuse for making such a big deal out of this. The only people who are going to sit here and complain are those who probably didn't read my A/N to begin with. So yeah. Please use your eyes next time, you guys, because I won't say this again.

(Additional A/N: UGH! YOU GUYS! PLEASE STOP MESSAGING ME ABOUT SENDING THE GODDAMN CHAPTER TO YOU PERSONALLY! I'M SORRY! I DON'T MEAN TO BE RUDE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT MY DECISION IS FINAL! IF YOU WANT TO READ THE FUCKING CHAPTER, THEN YOU MUST MAKE AN 18 OR OLDER ACCOUNT ON DA OR FA! END OF STORY!

I realize some of you might find this unfair, but I find it extremely unfair being expected to send the chapter out personally to so many of you. I don't have the time to be sending it out to every single last person who asks me to, so please respect that. The fact that I'm even OFFERING you guys an alternative website to read the story on should be appreciated because I could have just skipped this chapter completely and let you guys read on without even the option of reading that sex scene.

I understand some of you don't want to make accounts for the sheer fact that you'd only be using it as a source to read the story, but honestly enough, it's not like you guys can't find other things to do on that site also. The majority of you have DA accounts already! Well, FA is just like an adult version of DA! You can use FA for exactly the same reasons you use DA already. And it's not like Sass and I won't be posting more chapters like this later on in the story! You will need an account for those chapters also!

So for the last time, I am NOT posting the story here on FF. Nor am I explaining again the reasons for why I refuse to post it here. If you people read my first A/N, you'd already know why. Nor am I going to send it out personally to any of you. Think what you want of me for refusing to do that, but I'm busy enough as it is without having to worry about sending a dozen or more of you the chapter personally. Please stop giving me shit in your comments/PMs about not posting it here on FF. Because I have a reason for everything I do or don't do and I've stated them clearly enough in my below A/N already. Thank you.)

A/N: Alright. Quick note before I post this chapter, you guys. This is NOT the full version of Chapter 25. I repeat, NOT THE FULL VERSION! If you would like to read the full version of this chapter, then please either check it out over on DA or on FA. I will include a link to at least the FA version in my profile (I think you guys can locate the DA version on your own if you want to read it there.)

Just please keep in mind though that Chapter 25 is meant to be viewed by users 18 years of age or older. If you guys are too lazy to create accounts on either of those two sites stating that you're 18, then oh well. I am NOT posting this chapter anywhere else on the net, so please don't ask. And before you say anything about posting it up here on FF, just know that it would be against FF's TOS and therefore a risk factor for having the entire story removed. (This has happened to me before with other stories, so yeah.) Don't ask me to post it on AFF either. AFF refuses to cooperate with me because their staff suck ass. So please respect our decision to only post this chapter on the two above mentioned websites. Thank you.

P.S. Before you guys spam my inbox with messages of being unable to view the chapter over on FA, please remember that you must first make sure all your settings are corrent (ie. Mature filter OFF) If you can't see it for any reason there, then it means your settings are not correctly set.

That said, we hope you all enjoy. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 25: A First Time For Everything

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M (This is only the PG-13 version though. Please see profile for link to M rated version.)

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

WARNING! ZADR Smutty scene ahead now, guys! 18+ readers only. If you strongly dislike this kind of content then do not proceed. Do not feel the need to tell us how much you dislike the content of this chapter if you were silly enough to have read it anyway. It will only cause us to laugh at your foolishness.

If you'd really rather not read this particular chapter because of its contents then don't worry. Things will pick up as normal in the following chapter

There is a link in my profile if you'd like to read this over on FurAffinity.

Otherwise, ENJOY!

-

Shutting his eyes tightly before relaxing again, Zim planted little licks to the side of Dib's face and neck, bringing a hand round to run his fingers slowly down the other's back, antennae twitching in response to the small flick they received, as if anticipating something more.

Feeling Zim tugging just a bit at his towel to get at his chest, Dib groaned. "Mmmm...Ah!" He gasped as he felt one of the Irken's clawed fingers gingerly trace itself around one of his nipples. "Ziiiiim..." he breathed shakily against Zim's antennae, causing them to twitch even more.

Gasping out at the feel of Dib's breath against his antennae, Zim ran his tongue down him and pressed it to his nipple, licking at it as he dragged his hands further down his chest, pushing the towel down to his waist to run his hands up the bare skin of his sides.

Feeling Zim's wet tongue wrap around his hardening nipple, Dib squirmed about a bit. "Mmmmf...Nyaaa..." He enjoyed the sensation of the other's cool hands running up and down his sides, caressing his warm skin. Pressing Zim tightly against him, not wanting the other to stop his work any time soon, he then ran his own hands up the front of Zim's shirt, dragging his nails across his skin gently enough that he didn't leave any marks.

Zim curled up a tiny bit. "Uuhhh." He then pressed his mouth back against Dib's nipple with more force and lightly rubbed his teeth on it as he swirled at it with his tongue, bringing his hands up to rest on Dib's shoulders as he ran his claws gently down his back to then rub his hands on his lower back, lowering them down more as he rubbed against it.

Tensing slightly at the feel of Zim's hands dropping even lower down his body but otherwise not pulling away as the blush on his face grew darker, Dib drew one of Zim's antennae into his mouth to finally bite down on, though not painfully. Gently running his teeth along the length to the tip again, Dib's own body then reacted to each of Zim's squirms and the feeling of him digging his nails just a bit harder into his back.

"Mmmmph." Zim slid a hand up his back again to drag his claws down on it harder, leaving faint red grazes on it but stopping upon realizing he was pressing too hard and gently rubbing his hand against it apologetically. Gasping out loud as Dib ran his teeth along his antennae, he then entwined his legs around the other to force him forward and press against him more.

Gasping and letting out a slightly pained noise at the feel of Zim's claws digging just a bit deeper, Dib moaned against the antennae in his mouth just to feel a jolt of excitement shoot through his body as Zim pulled him closer, his hips pressed to Dib's.

Licking at his neck and shoulders, Zim slid his hands down his sides again and moved them back down to slide down his lower back. Slipping them under the towel slightly, he then lightly bit and sucked at the skin of his neck, legs wrapping more tightly around Dib and forcing their hips together even harder.

Gasping, Dib threw back his head before moaning out loud. "Mmmm...Zim..." He felt Zim's hands gripping his bottom firmly, pushing him into the Irken even more as he brought his own legs around to wrap around Zim.

*Sex scene starts here. See link in profile for full FA version*

A/N: And there you have it for the PG-13 version of Chapter 25. =3 Don't really have much to say about this chapter except that we hope you guys enjoy. X3 Until next time~


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Alright. Before I post this chapter, I want to extend a big thank you to those readers who were patient with me over the past month or so. I know I kept you guys waiting a long time for this and I'm sorry. It's just I've been obsessively playing Minecraft for the past month or so and that really got in the way of everything else. XD However, I'm finally ready to get back to this story, as well as some of my other stories. =3

Also, to those who responded to my A/N, thank you for taking the time to understand my position in regards to chapter 25. It's nice to know at least some people on here have the sense enough not to question why I posted the chapter the way I did. =3

That said, I hope you all enjoy this quick update. ^^ More will be soon to come, of course. I'm just multitasking now. So expect updates to come over the next few days/hours.

Dib Is Sick Chapter 26: Deserving

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Feeling his face flush a deep red at the way Zim was staring down at him, Dib quickly averted his eyes away to anywhere else in the room that didn't include said Irken in its foreground. "Wh-What?" he tried to pull the towel down over his face, still in a bit of shock over what they had just done.

Pulling the towel down away from Dib's face, Zim leaned forward and smiled down at him when he saw him flushing up so much. "Heh...Nothing. Yeesh, relax, will you." He lightly ruffled Dib's hair then rubbed his hands on his chest soothingly, bringing his eyes to his chest.

Dib blushed even more. "I-I can't when you're doing that. And I can't believe we just did that." He brought his gaze back to glance at Zim momentarily before quickly averting his eyes yet again.

Looking back up at him quickly, Zim stopped running his hands on him to hold them still on his chest before frowning a little and leaning over him again. "Why do you speak of it like it's a bad thing?" He said, bringing one hand up to poke Dib's forehead in order to draw back his attention.

Dib looked up at Zim quickly. "I-I'm not! I just...I don't know...Never expected things to go this way..." He dropped his gaze away to where Zim's hands currently were on his chest.

Leaning in slightly nearer, Zim's expression calmed. "Are you happy that they did?" He smiled. "Or did you prefer it when Zim was trying to kill you?" He said, poking just a little fun at Dib now.

"Th-That's not exactly what I was talking about...I mean...Sure. I never expected we'd ever fall in love AND so suddenly. But what I really meant to say was, I-I never expected to lose my virginity this way." Dib blushed even more.

Carefully putting an elbow down on Dib to lean his face in one hand, Zim blushed a bit himself, running a finger on his chest randomly while still looking over at him calmly. "So...What you mean is...You would have expected to have done so with an Earth female?" He tilted his head to one side lazily.

"I-I guess...Maybe...I don't know...I'm not so sure I know what I expected. But I certainly wasn't expecting it to be with a guy or an alien or YOU in particular...And I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did...For all I know, I might have been expecting that I would never get laid..."

"Well...I dunno...I never thought I'd be doing that to ANYONE." Zim shrugged. "But besides, Dib-beast..." He smiled up at him. "No one else can have you now cuz you're Zim's!" he poked him on the chest playfully.

Blushing at Zim's words, Dib looked away to the side shyly. "I don't think anyone else WOULD want me." He said with a small sigh, knowing those words didn't mean much when nobody else would have him to begin with.

For a moment, Zim looked at him a little sadly. "Well...Would you have wanted any of them?" He asked, knowing how all the others already treated Dib.

Dib hesitated a bit before answering. "...Probably not...But who WOULD want somebody who doesn't want them back?" He sighed, slumping a bit in his spot.

"Dib..." Zim blushed a bit and coughed into his hand quickly before facing him again. "I've never wanted anyone in my entire life, let alone wanted to belong to someone...I felt no one deserved Zim...But...You deserve to have Zim and...I want you more than anything I've ever wanted. So that has to mean something." He looked to the side with a frown, blushing even more. "Okay, there. I said it...And don't think I'll say it again." He twiddled his thumbs, still blushing very hard.

Dib could only stare wide-eyed at Zim with a blush on his face at those words. "And you really mean that? This isn't just some horrible joke or a dream I'll wake up from soon? Cause I really don't want to wake up feeling like shit again." He brought a hand up to hold his head as a part of him was having difficulty being able to believe Zim really meant what he just said.

"N-No." Zim shook his head slowly and looked back at him oddly. "Uh...This isn't a dream." He looked to the side again, pouting a bit as his blush wouldn't leave his face in that moment. "...And I would never joke of such things." He said, not seeing a reason to.

"It happened in my last dream! Do you have any idea what it was like waking up on your couch just to realize everything I had been dreaming about had been just that: A dream?"

"Heh...Yes, yes. You must have been devastated." Zim smirked. "But believe Zim! This isn't a dream, and Zim shall prove it to you. Now prepare for the proof!" He brought his hands up to poke Dib in the sides, making him jolt. "See." He smiled and nodded. "Not a dream." he then nodded to himself affirmatively.

Trying to escape Zim's poking fingers, Dib squirmed around a bit. "Hey! Stop it! How the hell does that prove that this isn't a dream?" He pouted up at Zim.

Smirking down at him, Zim giggled and folded his arms. "Because you would have woken up at that. Plus you felt the poking, no? Therefore this is no dream." He held up his hands again, pointing his fingers near his sides. "Unless you want me to check again?" he smiled at him teasingly.

Dib's eyes widened. "No! I mean, okay. So maybe it isn't a dream. But you could still be joking. How do I know you're not?" He looked at the other almost desperately as he was just looking for some sign from the alien that this was all real and wouldn't end the moment he believed it.

Looking at him with disbelief, Zim's smile disappeared instantly. "Why the Irk would you think I was joking?...Okay, yes. I have never said anything like that to anyone before, but for a good reason!...What more can I possibly do to make you believe me?" He pouted down at him, getting a little frustrated now.

At the Irken's yelling, Dib shrank back a bit. "I-I don't know...I just..." He fell silent suddenly and shook his head. "N-Never mind...I'm ruining the moment..." His eyes fell half lidded as he turned over on his side a bit and rested his head on the towel.

Staring at him blankly for a moment, Zim then sighed, feeling a bit guilty for raising his voice. "No...No, you're not." he ran a hand through his hair apologetically. "I just really wish you'd believe me...Or at least tell me why you don't so that maybe then I can prove it to you somehow." He said going to lay down next to Dib.

"It's not like I don't want to! I want to really really bad! It's just...mmmmm...I've been on the receiving end of a lot of hurtful jokes in the past, and...You weren't exactly the most truthful person towards me up until now, and...well, you should know just as well as I know that trust between two people takes time to develop! It doesn't just happen overnight!" Dib brought his legs in a bit, curling in on himself slightly.

Until next time~


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Hey, you guys. Sorry once again for the wait on these upcoming chapters. I was away on a trip for a week with my mom, brother, and aunt, and I only just got back home yesterday morning. Slept most of the day yesterday. And now I'm stuck in bed until a rash on my ankles either goes away or I get antibiotics for it, whichever comes first. So yeah. I'm not allowed to walk around until the swelling goes down so best I get some updatage in before the upcoming DoomCon. =3

For those who haven't been keeping up with my A/Ns, I WILL be at the convention in a month. And if anybody reading this story is going to be there also, you may be able to worm a spoiler out of me if you can find me at the con. I'll give a description of what I'll be wearing before I leave for it. So you can either look for me or Metros2soul on DA. (Probably one of the only Australians going to this thing.) I'll be rooming with her, so chances are, we'll be spending the majority of the con walking around together.

That said, I hope to see some of you at the convention. And of course, I hope you guys enjoy the updates I have in store for you today. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 27: When You Smile

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Shifting his view to the side for a moment in thought at Dib's words, Zim then slumped himself down beside Dib, facing him and also resting his head on the towel. "Yeah...I understand. I can't say I blame you for having trust issues. I myself have never trusted anyone but my leaders...It turns out they weren't so trustworthy either. But...I think I can trust you...For all I know, you could have drugged me in my sleep and dragged me to the nearest autopsy table." He smiled jokingly and grabbed Dib's hand to entwine his fingers with his own. "But...I'll wait for you to trust Zim." He smiled at the other reassuringly.

Staring down at his and Zim's hands, Dib then brought them up to his lips to kiss each of Zim's fingers gently. "Thank you..." The words left his mouth in a whisper before he let half-lidded eyes fall all the way closed, nuzzling the lime green hand to one of his warm cheeks and sighing.

"Mmm." Zim let out his own content sigh, smiling happily and letting his eyes fall half-lidded.

Shivering a bit and pulling closer to the Irken, Dib then breathed out gently against the other's skin before hiding his face in Zim's chest and shivering again as he pressed his warm body flush against the alien's.

Eyes widening at this, Zim rubbed a hand on his shoulder soothingly. "You Okay?" He asked, unsure whether the other was just cold or feeling ill again.

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine...Just...a little tired, I guess..." Dib swallowed thickly and wrapped his arms around Zim to cling to him a bit. Peeking his eyes open to look up at Zim for a moment, he then kissed his chest gently and sent him a small smile.

Happy to see him smile, Zim smiled back at him. "Mmm...I like it when you do that." He lightly rubbed his thumb along Dib's lips for a moment then put his arms around him.

Blushing when he felt Zim run his thumb across his lips, Dib sent him a curious look. "You like it when I do what? This?" He pressed his lips to Zim's chest again, his eyes closed this time as he gave the skin there a small suckle before pulling away and looking back up at Zim.

Zim's smile widened as he did that. "Heh...Yes, but what Zim really meant was...I like it when you smile. It's kind of...Nice." He shrugged and shifted his eyes to the side to look at the floor awkwardly, blushing a little.

"O-Oh..." Dib looked away shyly, his own blush growing. "When I smile..." He shifted his eyes back over to look at Zim after a moment or two. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment then...Thank you..." He thanked the other, not quite understanding why Zim liked that so much.

"Mmm hmm." Zim looked back at him lazily, rubbing his hand on Dib's warm cheek. "...Your face always seems to change color so easily." He smiled at him sleepily for a moment before shifting himself closer to Dib, closing his eyes and putting his arm back around him.

Face becoming an even deeper red at Zim's words, Dib then hid his face in the other's chest where he couldn't see it. "I-I can't help it! At least, not when you say things like that! And besides! I-It's really hot in here!" he pouted against the other's chest.

Zim opened his eyes at that response in surprise. "What? Oh c'mon. It's not that bad. Zim didn't mean it as an insult or anything." He rubbed his hand on Dib's arm in an attempt to calm him down a bit. "I guess I shouldn't have mentioned it. I just didn't know it would upset you is all." He then looked at him a bit guiltily. "I keep doing that...But...I will try to be more careful with what I say in the future, okay?" He said, not liking it when the other hid from him.

Peeking just one eye open to stare up at Zim, Dib nodded his head slightly against the Irken's chest, his blush dying down just a bit now. "Okay...But your face changes colors too, you know..." He let his eyes fall partway shut.

Wanting to argue but just letting out a small grunt instead, Zim frowned a bit before cuddling back up to Dib sleepily.

Eyes widening as he stared back down at Zim, Dib giggled to himself a bit at the other's reaction. Without saying so much as another word, he then merely yawned tiredly and curled up tightly against Zim to sleep.

A little surprised to hear Dib giggling, Zim lazily peeked one eye open to look at him one last time before closing it again and falling off to sleep.

A few hours later, Dib shifted in his sleep a bit, kicking out his legs and turning over onto his other side, Zim's arm still wrapped around him. "Mmmm...Zim..." He murmured in his half asleep stupor.

"...Mmm..." Zim suddenly came around to his own half asleep state, ever so slightly opening his eyes as Dib shifted then closing them again and moving up closer to Dib to get comfortable again.

Letting out a small whine and shiver at how uncomfortable the floor was to sleep on, Dib tried to wriggle his way out from underneath Zim's arm. "Mmmm...Stop..." He turned over onto his back before bringing up a hand to rub up under one of his eyes sleepily, dropping it back down to his side once he was finished.

Blinking his eyes open fully and pushing himself up a bit, Zim pressed a hand to his back, suddenly feeling slight pain in it from sleeping on the floor. Looking over at the sleeping human for a moment then over at his bed and then back at Dib again, he then scooped the boy up from the floor and carefully set him back onto the bed, trying not to disturb him too much as he laid himself down next to Dib and brought the bed covers up over them both. He then cuddled up to Dib comfortably under the covers.

Turning back over onto his side so he was facing Zim again, Dib stopped struggling so much to get away from him, rather nuzzling his warm face to Zim's before becoming still again.

Feeling comfortable now, Zim smiled a tiny bit at Dib's sudden closeness before closing his eyes again and drifting back off to sleep.

It wasn't until a few more hours later, just as the sun was beginning to shine in through Dib's window, that there came a sudden knock on Dib's bedroom door.

"Dib? Diiib? Are you getting ready for school yet?" Came Professor Membrane's voice through the door.

Blinking his eyes slightly open at hearing the professor's voice, Zim then jolted upright suddenly, his eyes wide.

"Son? You better be getting ready in there!"

Keeping his voice down so the professor wouldn't hear him, Zim then shook Dib in a bit of a panic. "Dib!...Wake up, Dib-stink! Your stinking Dad is calling you!" He said before hiding himself under the covers, fearful that the professor might walk in on them.

Until next time~


	28. Chapter 28

Dib Is Sick Chapter 28: Numb

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Shifting in the covers, Dib tried to escape whatever it was that was shaking him, still completely out cold. He let out a small whimper as he coughed into the covers and began to shiver again.

"Dib? Why aren't you answering?"

"Yes, Dib! Why aren't you?" Zim snapped his fingers in front of his face a few times then grabbed his shoulders to shake him again but was unable to get him to wake up.

"Don't make me come in there, son!"

Zim coughed. "Uh...Uh...Yes! It is I...Dib!...And I am getting ready for skool...And t-to...to catch aliens!...And big-feets!" He coughed again.

"...Ah, okay. Very well then, son. Remind me to have a look at your throat later on. You sound horrible! We can't have you getting a cold." Professor Membrane said before walking off.

Beginning to practically gasp for air in his sleep, Dib clutched at the bed covers tightly as he was beginning to sweat all over.

Whumping himself back down onto the pillow, Zim sighed loudly in relief at hearing the professor finally leave before jumping a bit at hearing Dib gasp suddenly and turning over to look at him. "...Dib?" he rubbed a hand on Dib's arm, looking at him with concern.

Curling in on himself a bit, Dib's body broke out into small tremors as his breathing became shakier and shakier.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Zim lightly shook him again. "Dib?" he stared at him for a moment to see if he'd wake up but found that it didn't work. Beginning to get a little panicked, he then shifted himself closer to Dib and rubbed a hand on his back to try and comfort him. "Dib, just...wake up already..." He said, trying to bring the human out of this.

Letting out a pained noise, Dib curled in on himself even more and clutched at his chest, struggling in his sleep to escape all Zim's shaking before snapping awake, his eyes wide. "Oooouuuch..." He squeezed his eyes tightly closed and continued to gasp for air.

Relieved to see him finally wake up, Zim then suddenly looked at him scared. "Dib, what's wrong?" He rubbed Dib's arm again gently, panic creeping into him again.

"My chest hurts...A lot. It feels like I can't get enough air...And it suddenly feels like it's freezing in here..." Dib continued to shiver, his teeth chattering now.

Putting both arms around him, Zim pulled him close into a hug before stroking the back of his head. "But you feel so warm...Don't worry though. You'll just have to wait this out...You'll be okay." He said with a small affirmative nod, trying to reassure the other.

Attempting to keep himself warm by pressing himself even closer to Zim, Dib's breathing became shallow and quick. "Z-Zim...I can't feel my hands..." He said, lifting his shaking hands up to stare down at.

"You can't?" Zim felt Dib shiver against him before he carefully sat the both of them up so Dib was pressed up against him in his lap as he brought up the covers and held them around Dib while hugging him in closely. "This should warm you up faster..." He planted a kiss on his forehead. "Calm down...I'm here." He spoke softly against Dib's hair.

Hiding his face in Zim's chest, Dib closed his eyes. "They're really numb..." He peeked one eye open as he brought one of his hands up to look at again. Trying to move his fingers, he found himself unable to move them all that much.

"Hmm..." Zim took Dib's hand, still holding the covers up with his other arm as he rubbed his thumb on Dib's palm gently. "That's weird...And you still feel cold?" He asked.

Continuing to shiver, Dib nodded his head. "I-It was really hot in here r-right up until I woke up, th-then I suddenly felt like I was f-freezing..." He said, voice shaking all the while.

Re-wrapping his arm around him again, Zim looked at him sadly, rubbing his hands on the covers against Dib's arms to try to warm him up more. "Dib...I wish I knew what to do to help you...The chemicals I injected into you should have ended all this..." He said, not understanding why it was Dib's condition had suddenly nose-dived again.

"M-Maybe it wasn't a s-strong enough dosage...Or perhaps i-it just wore off after a wh-while..."

"Or perhaps whatever this thing is developed an immunity..." Zim frowned and hugged him closely again. "No. This...This shouldn't be happening. It should have worked." He nuzzled against him a little. "...I'm sorry." He apologized, antennae drooping.

Dib nuzzled a cheek to Zim's chest. "S-Sorry for wh-what? I-It's not your f-fault I got s-sick." He said, fiddling with Zim's shirt a bit.

"No...I know. Just...Sorry that I couldn't fix this." Zim stroked the top of his head.

"Y-You don't have t-to apologize about th-that. I-I had my d-doubts about it w-working from the b-beginning, so it w-wasn't that horrible o-of a l-letdown..." Dib brought his hands up to try and breath warm air into them.

"Y-You did?" Zim pouted for a moment then just shrugged it off. "Well...It's better than counting on it to work, I guess..." He sighed. "...Heh...Y'know, your dad really gave me a fright this morning." he fiddled with a lock of Dib's hair.

"H-Huh? Wh-What'd he d-do? W-Walk in on u-us? I-I could have s-sworn I locked th-the d-door."

"No, he didn't come in, fortunately. But I really thought he was going to...He really has no idea that you're sick, does he?"

Dib shook his head slowly. "N-No...N-Not r-really...I-It's not like I-I'm going to g-go and tell h-him though." He said, knowing already what would happen if he did.

Until next time~


	29. Chapter 29

Dib Is Sick Chapter 29: Pneumonia

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

A little confused by Dib's words, Zim sent the other a small look before the realization of what Dib was getting at dawned on him. "Oh...Because he might take you to a hospi-...Umm...W-Well, surely he must keep some kind of medicine in this house." He quickly changed the subject.

At the mention of the hospital, Dib tensed. "Th-There might be s-some downstairs, but I-I'm not s-sure. Th-The last time I-I was sick w-was when I w-was s-seven." He said, shuddering at the memory.

"Want me to go check for you? I'll just have to read the labels carefully...Uh...Your father and sibling are out, right?"

"D-Dad should be g-gone by now i-if he went t-to the lab t-today. B-But I'm not s-so sure about G-Gaz..."

"..." Zim sighed. "I'll deal with it. Where do you keep all your medicine and stuff?" He pulled away from Dib and wrapped the covers around him fully to keep him warm.

"I-In a cabinet i-in the k-kitchen. A-And there might b-be a few i-in the bathroom t-too."

"Mkay. I'll have a good look." Zim pulled on his uniform top, not bothering with the wig and contacts as he opened the door and looked back at Dib for a moment. "I'll be real quick." He said before closing the door behind him and making his way into the bathroom, opening up the cabinet and staring at its contents. "Hmmm." He sounded out as he tried to decide what to bring back.

Walking up behind Zim, Gir poked him in the leg, making him jump and let out a shriek. "Whatchadoooiiin?" The android asked in an all too high pitched voice.

Zim glared at Gir. "GIR! Ughh...Nothing. Just...Make yourself useful, and get Dib a glass of water or something...Oh, and um...Did you see anyone else here?" He asked, peeking out the bathroom door momentarily.

"Nawww...But I go get dat." Gir saluted before heading downstairs.

Zim rummaged through the cabinet frantically.

A few doors down, Gaz made her way out of her room, yawning and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she wore nothing but a long, black nightshirt with a white skull on it. Coming to stand in the doorway of the bathroom, she then stopped upon seeing Zim rummaging through things in the medicine cabinet.

She sent him a rather unimpressed look. "Just what the hell are you doing now?" She asked, a little annoyed to see Zim was still there.

Jumping, Zim sharply turned his head to look at Gaz. "Uuhhhmm..." He coughed and put on a serious face, trying to hide his fear in that moment. "Uhh...Gaz, I need to find a medicine for symptoms such as nausea, hot and cold...and head-aches and stuff...Do you have such a medicine?" He asked just a bit nervously.

Gaz continued to stare at him with an unimpressed look on her face. "No..." She said, rather bluntly.

Gir came up behind her. "I gots da water!" He announced.

Shifting her eyes to the floor, Gaz looked down at Gir. "Don't you pay ANY attention to what they teach you in school?" She said before looking back up at Zim. "Those are all symptoms of pneumonia, dummy. You can get antibiotics to treat it at the drug store down the street. Now, get out of the bathroom so I can get ready for school already." She said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot against the ground impatiently.

"Pneu-monia...Hmm..." Zim repeated the word to himself before walking out of the bathroom and back to Dib's room, Gir following behind him as Gaz slammed the bathroom door shut behind her. He opened the door to Dib's room. "Hey, Dib. Zim thinks you have something called 'pneumonia,' but it requires antibiotics from the store." He said, closing the door behind him after Gir walked in.

Not responding as he had already fallen back to sleep in the time Zim was gone, Dib's body continued to tremble slightly despite.

"Awww."

Finding a notebook and pen, Zim looked over at Dib for a moment before jotting something down, ripping the page off, and holding it in front of Gir. "Gir, I need you to run down to the drug store to get antibiotics for these symptoms." He shook the paper in front of Gir before the android took said paper from Zim. "Can you do that? I'd do it myself, but I have to stay here and keep Dib war- I mean...Just...Can you do that, Gir?" He saved himself before he could let out what his true intentions were.

Letting out a shriek of joy in response, Gir ran off giggling insanely.

Zim smacked his forehead. "Ugh...That STUPID minion of mine better do this one thing right..." he said before walking over to Dib and adjusting the covers on him, sitting himself beside him and running a hand on his arm soothingly.

Remaining fast asleep, Dib's breathing remained fairly normal despite his shivering. Turning over in his sleep a bit, he then hugged the closest thing to him, that thing being Zim's waist. He nuzzled a cheek to the other's hip.

Blinking in surprise, Zim couldn't help but smile a bit as he stroked the top of Dib's head.

"Mmmm...Zim..." Dib curled up underneath the covers.

Moving himself so that he was laying under the covers too, Zim cuddled up to him closely.

Smacking his lips together a few times, Dib yawned to himself in his sleep before clamping his mouth down on one of Zim's fingers to suck on a bit. "Mmmm..." He sounded out in his sleep.

Eyes widening, Zim tried to stop a giggle from escaping him as he let Dib suckle on his finger as he rubbed a hand down his bare back gently.

"Hmmm..." Dib ran his tongue around the digit unconsciously, using his upper teeth to pull it further into his mouth.

Blushing, Zim then smirked a bit, wrapping his legs around him and slowly running a hand down his front as he gave him an affectionate lick to the side of his face.

Flinching a bit at the lick to his face, Dib tried to pull away by curling in on himself even more, Zim's finger still in his mouth.

Cuddling up to him again with his free arm, Zim rubbed his thumb on his cheek where he'd licked him and nuzzled his face against Dib's neck. "Hmmm." He sounded out contently.

Dib continued suckling on the finger in his sleep as Zim cuddled up with him.

Returning from the store a few minutes later with a small bag in hand, Gir headed up to Dib's room again and trotted up to the edge of the bed where Zim's back was turned to him. "Whatchya doin, Master?" he asked excitedly, tapping him on the back all the while.

Pulling his finger out of Dib's mouth, Zim rolled over and sat himself up to look at Gir annoyed. "N-Nothing..." He took the bag from Gir and pulled out the medicine, reading the label for a moment. "Hmm...This looks about right. Good work, Gir." He said before turning back to face Dib.

Gir smiled. "Mmhm!" He was happy to have pleased his master.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Zim gave Dib a light shake after turning back to him. "Dib..." He attempted to wake the other up, wanting to give him this medicine before he forgot.

Until next time~


	30. Chapter 30

Dib Is Sick Chapter 30: Difficult

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Letting out a small whine at the loss of Zim's finger and the sudden shaking, Dib turned over in bed again to lie on his other side, facing away from Zim now.

"Ugh! Diiib!" Zim snapped his fingers in front of his face a few times.

"Awww. He's all sleepy."

"Yes...But I need him to be awake." Zim gave him another shake. "C'mon! Wake up already!" he became frustrated when Dib wouldn't wake up right away.

"Oooh! I know what to do!" Gir jumped onto Dib suddenly, giggling like a moron and poking at him. "Yeeeheeeheee!" He jabbed his finger at Dib repeatedly.

Flinching at all the shaking, snapping, and poking, Dib pulled under the covers in an attempt to escape it all.

Grabbing Gir off of Dib, Zim held him up to look at him angrily. "I didn't command you to JUMP on him, GIR!" He scolded the small android.

"But I was trying to wake him up! Eeeheehee!"

Zim threw Gir, who just giggled and stood near them again, onto the floor. "Well, it didn't work anyways...This human just sleeps forever!...I'll just have to wait, I guess." He set the medicine aside and whumped himself down onto his back to lay beside Dib and stare up at the ceiling.

At the sudden shift in the mattress, Dib jolted awake and sat up quickly. "Huh? What?" He looked left and then right, still underneath the covers, making him look somewhat like a ghost or something.

Gir pointed at Dib. "Oooh! He's dreaming about being a ghost!" He announced.

Zim sat up. "Finally!" He started to laugh a little at how funny the other looked and lifted the covers up so he could see him properly and smile at him, amused by Dib's shocked and confused expression. "Heh. I thought you were never going to wake up." he smirked at the human.

Rubbing at one of his eyes, Dib blinked, still shivering a bit. "H-How long was I-I ou-out?" He asked, not having realized he even fell asleep.

"Oh, not so long." Zim put the covers back around him. "But it seems that you have something called pneumonia, so I had Gir run down to the store to get you some antibiotics." He grabbed the medicine container and held it in front of him. "See...Problem solved." He nodded.

Pulling back away from the medicine container, Dib sank down under the covers a bit, a nervous look coming to his face.

At Dib's reaction, Zim tilted his head a little. "What's the matter?" He asked, having not been expecting that.

"I-I can't guarantee th-that I'm going t-to be able t-to keep that d-down in my s-stomach..."

"Hmm...Well you still have to try anyway, Dib. You can't just do nothing about it." Zim opened the container. "And don't worry. I checked that this is the right stuff." He nodded again. "Trust Zim." He turned once he had opened the container.

Frowning, Dib held his stomach before turning over in bed to face away from Zim, still not wanting to take it.

"Diiib!" Zim looked at him sternly. "Don't be such a smeet. The worst that could happen is that it won't work or come back up, but there's a chance that it will work, so take it or I will have to force you to take it!..." He looked at him pleadingly. "...Please?" He then softened his voice.

Tensing a bit at the tone of Zim's voice, Dib inched away a bit and pulled the covers up over his head more to hide under.

For a moment, Zim lowered the medicine. "...Oh c'mon, Dib. Please? I just want you to get better..." He frowned when Dib didn't respond to that and put the medicine aside again. "Okay, okay. Fine. Don't take it then. I won't force you if you really don't want it." He laid himself back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling again, resting his head on his arms as he pretended not to take any interest anymore.

Hardly responding to any of what the Irken was saying, Dib let out a small sniffle from underneath the covers as he curled in on himself some more and closed his eyes to try and sleep again.

Feeling a bit guilty, Zim looked over at him after a moment. "Uhhm...Well, I put it aside in case you wanted it later, but...You really don't have to have it if you don't want to, Dib." he awaited a reply but didn't get one, causing him to shift nearer to him so he could lay on his side beside Dib and lightly rub his hand at the covers on him. "...Are you going to talk to me?...Or do you just hate Zim right now?" He said, feeling even worse the longer Dib refused to say anything to him.

Sniffling, Dib shifted his eyes partway open. "I-I don't hate y-you. I-I j-just...w-want to go b-back to sleep n-now..." He brought shaking arms up to hug himself tightly under the covers as he closed his eyes again.

For a few seconds, Zim looked at the covers. "Well...You can at least let me try to keep you warm." He scooted even nearer to him and lifted up the covers a bit to slip himself underneath them too, pulling Dib to him and rubbing a hand on his arm gently.

Gir made an 'awww' face and curled up on the floor to go to sleep.

Hiding his face in his arms so Zim couldn't see him, Dib sobbed into them.

Wrapping an arm around his back, Zim's expression saddened as he put his other hand to the back of Dib's head to hold him in closely. "Dib...Don't cry...Zim didn't mean to yell at you." He nuzzled the top of his head.

His body shaking each time he breathed in, Dib continued to cry into Zim's chest. "I-I'm not being d-difficult on purpose y-you kn-know!" He exclaimed, thoroughly upset now.

Talking softly, Zim rubbed his hand on Dib's back. "Heh...Yeah, I know. Just try to sleep, okay?" He tried to soothe the other.

Sniffling wetly, Dib nodded his head gently against Zim's chest, calming slightly but still blinking tears out of his eyes as he attempted to return back to sleep.

Until next time~


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Oh mah gadz! What is this? Can it be? Really? YES! It is! An actual update! 8O Alright. Enough of that. XD Yes, you guys. I am finally back and ready to update the next few chapters of DIS. Sorry for the horribly long wait on said chapters. We did TRY to have them out before I headed off to DoomCon. Unfortunately, we weren't able to meet that deadline before then. So sorry. On the bright side of things though, here I am now, back from my trip and ready to update. 8D

Had a great time in LA and got to meet a lot of interesting people, but now it's about time I really buckle down on this and a few of my other stories. So yeah. For all the ZADR fans reading this, just so you know, Richard Horvitz DID say that he loved Dib in Zim's voice. So you can all go squee over that fact now. Unfortunately, he did it so quickly, nobody could get it on tape. But Metros2soul was there when he said it and that's good enough for me. On a side note, I also got Wally Wingert (Tallest Red) to say "Zim has a nice ass!" in Tallest Red's voice, which was another plus to our trip. But, above all else, the highlight of our entire trip was when we got to go and hang out with Wally after the convention was over. =3

Being the big Astro Boy fan that she is, Metro managed to get his business card from him. And when we emailed him later in the week, he invited us over for three jam-packed days of fun. He picked us up from Universal Studios in his black convertable, brought us out to dinner with a few of his friends, and showed us his Astro Boy collection as well as the rest of his house. Then, the next day, we met him in the morning to attend a Hollywood Show, met a bunch of celebrities, went out to lunch, and ended the day by heading back to his house for a movie night with his friends. And as for our final day, we met him at his church and headed out one last time for dinner before hanging at his house for a few hours, where he gave us some personalized prints. So yeah. =3 Twas a pretty awesome trip overall. Even got to walk his dog, Roxy, who is a direct descendant of Lassie. And when he found out I write RAPR slash fiction, I got the chance to tell him that if it makes him feel any better, Red's on top. He laughed and wrote that on the print he gave me. XD "Tallest Red (on top)" Definitely the best trip of my life and recharged my dying IZ battery. =3 So, I hope you guys enjoy these updates while I'm all charged up and pumping them out. Here's to hoping I don't lose my focus on this story or any of the other IZ fics I have already going anytime soon.

Much love to all of you who have been sending in reviews and faving this story, and we hope you all continue to read and enjoy. :3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 31: Toy

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Closing his eyes, Zim continued to gently rub Dib's back and stroke his hair to help calm him. Humming out a small contented sigh as he felt comfortable and warm under the covers with Dib, he then began to feel a bit sleepy himself.

Breathing beginning to become more normal again as he wiped his eyes off on Zim's uniform top before peeking two honey colored eyes up at Zim and then fixing them on the Irken's antennae, Dib let the swaying motion calm him as his eyes fell half lidded and he sniffled wetly just a few more times.

The movement of his hands on Dib lessening as he slowly felt himself beginning to drift off to sleep, Zim opened his eyes one last time to look down at Dib and gently nuzzle against his hair once more before closing his eyes again and becoming still.

Blinking his eyes open at the sleeping Irken, Dib shifted them back to stare up at his antennae again. Watching them sway back and forth as he also began to drift back to sleep, he then clung to one of Zim's arms as he nuzzled one of his cheeks up to the other's hand and let his eyes slip closed.

Fingers twitching slightly at the sudden warmth being pressed to them for a moment, Zim then became motionless again as he fell into a deep sleep.

A few hours later, Dib squeezed the hand he currently had held to his face tightly in his sleep before shifting closer to Zim, hugging the other's arm closer to his chest. "Mmmm..." He let out a small hum in his sleep.

Waking up before both Zim and Dib, Gir got up off the ground to peek over the edge of the bed at them. "D'awww...Master needs a squishy too." He pulled something long, smooth, and sleek out of his head to put in Zim's free hand, which wasn't grasping anything at the moment.

Grasping the object firmly in his hand, Zim shifted a bit so his free arm was now wrapped around Dib, not registering at first what is could possibly be that he was holding in his hand as he mumbled something incoherent in his sleep.

Pressing the object against Dib, Zim frowned in his sleep at the sound of Gir giggling nearby, not knowing that he was doing this and still having no clue what he was holding.

Dib tried to shift away from the hard object being pressed up against his back. "Mmmm..." He let out a small whine when he couldn't escape the cold, hard surface of the object.

Grumbling something at all the shifting, Zim pulled his arm away from Dib's back, holding the mystery object between the both of them now at their stomachs and dropping it there before wrapping his arm back around Dib and pushing up closer to him. At doing that, the object started to vibrate suddenly between them.

"Oooh! It's dancin!"

That object pressed firmly between his legs and slightly against his stomach, Dib felt that certain something vibrating right up between him and Zim, causing him to jump in shock and let out a startled noise as he squeezed his legs tightly together. "Ah! What the-?!" He exclaimed, trying to get away from whatever was in his bed.

"Mmph..." Zim's eyes opened slightly to the vibrating against him and the sounds of Dib's voice. "Wh-...AUGHH!" His eyes snapped wide open and he threw himself back, letting out a yelp and falling off the bed. "Uhh..." He sat up rubbing his head and looking back at the object, gasping loudly and pointing sharply at it. "WHAT the IRK is that monstrosity?!...OH MY TALLEST! IT'S ALIVE!" He screeched when he saw it still vibrating.

Beginning to kick himself away from the vibrating object the best he could, Dib also fell off the opposite end of the bed, covers coming off with him. Sitting up and looking at it, his face then became a deep red when he realized what it was. "I-It's not mine!" He exclaimed, not wanting Zim to get the wrong idea about why such an item would be in his bed.

Ducking behind the bed, Zim peeked up to look at it as it vibrated on the bed before then looking over at Dib on the other side of the bed worriedly. "W-What is it!? Is it some kind of hideous, earthly bed monster!?" He shuddered.

Dib's face flushed a deep, deep red. "N-No...I-It's more like a..." He stopped and gulped. "Like a device humans use to...ummm...heighten pleasure in sexual situations..." He said the last part quickly before hiding his face in the covers. "B-But it's not mine! I swear!" He exclaimed, really having no idea at all where the object had come from.

For a few seconds, Zim looked at it with a completely blank expression before his eyes suddenly widened and he blushed. Standing up, he then pointed over at Dib angrily. "I will only go SO FAR with these earthly mating rituals, Dib-beast!" He said before pointing at the dildo. "But THAT is where I draw the line!" He said, completely missing the part where Dib said it wasn't his.

Holding the covers up to cover his body, Dib stood up also. "WHAT?! I just said it wasn't mine! I wouldn't even know how to use that thing! And I wasn't the one who started all of this to begin with in the first place!" He pointed at Zim. "You're the one who started it all with your constant groping of me! Whereas I never once made any advances on you in a sexual sort of way!" He pouted at the Irken.

Face feeling like it was on fire, Zim looked at him completely shocked before glaring at him, still blushing very much. "Wha- NUH-UH! LIIIEEES! You have too! But you only do it when you're asleep!" His eyes widened before he slapped his hands over his mouth.

Dib's face suddenly grew confused. "Huh? Wh-What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, not realizing some of the things he did to Zim in his sleep.

"N-Nothing!" Zim ducked so Dib couldn't see him, face blushing still. "Just…turn that thing off!" He said, refusing to come out until it stopped vibrating.

"Awww...But Squishy is s'posed to make everybody happy! You just gotta gives him a chance! Jus' like the big red, spicy snow man told me!"

Looking furiously at Gir, Zim stood bolt upright. "YOUUUUU!" he grabbed the dildo and threw it at him, knocking Gir over and switching it off. Gir just giggled and waved it around. Turning, Zim caught sight of Dib, causing his blush to re-form on his face.

Dib's face was completely on fire now. "T-Tell me what I did to you in my sleep!" He could only imagine the embarrassing possibilities in his head as he hid his face in his hands, groaning to himself.

Zim yanked down on his antennas. "Nooothing!..." He took a deep breath to try and calm himself before letting go of his antennae and peeking up at Dib, still blushing. "Uhh...Hardly anything...Really...But you only show affection to Zim when you sleep...That's all." He sank down a bit as if waiting for an explosion to happen.

His cheeks a deep red and eyes frantic, Dib looked back up at Zim. "WHAT -KIND- OF AFFECTION, ZIM?! IF YOU DON'T TELL ME, MY MIND WILL AUTOMATICALLY JUMP TO THE WORSE CASE SCENARIO!" He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and shook his head. "This can't be happening! This absolutely cannot be happening!" He returned his face to his hands in complete embarrassment.

Waving his hands in front of him frantically, Zim stood bold upright again. "WOAH! WOOAAH! Calm down! You really didn't do anything like THAT...The worst you've done is put my fingers or antennas in your mouth while you were asleep...But it's not like I minded or anything, so just relax, will you!?" He began to become flustered himself with all Dib's panicking.

His blush still not dying down, Dib lifted his head to look back up at Zim. "S-So I didn't do anything like what you did to me yesterday? O-Or say anything horribly embarrassing in my sleep again?" He began to calm slightly.

Zim shook his head. "Nope...But if you tried, I would have stopped you, Dib...And you've never said anything 'horribly embarrassing' in your sleep anyway." He pressed his hands onto the bed to lean onto it as he stared back at him, looking a bit more relaxed than before. "Why are you so paranoid about it anyway?" he asked, not understanding this human at all.

And there you have it for now! Until next time~3


	32. Chapter 32

Dib Is Sick Chapter 32: Boundaries

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Blushing even more at Zim's question, Dib looked away from the other momentarily. "W-Well...I-I didn't think you'd want me doing anything like THAT to you...E-Even if it was in my sleep...I-I don't want to overstep my boundaries...A-And it wouldn't be the first time I've said or done something stupid in my sleep..." He rubbed his arm nervously, now feeling horribly uncomfortable.

Looking at him a bit surprised, Zim blushed again before sitting himself on the bed, still looking at the other. "Oh...I just assumed you didn't want to do-...Uhh...I mean, y-you wouldn't be overstepping your boundaries if you-..." His face blushed twice as hard. "Uhmm...B-But anyways...Like I said...You haven't said or done anything stupid in your sleep." He shifted his eyes to the side.

Bowing his head and holding it with both hands now, Dib squeezed his eyes tightly shut. "B-But I said something stupid just now, didn't I?!" He groaned, his blush growing even more at the fact that he had just let the other know that the only reason he wasn't showing him any affection was because he thought Zim wouldn't want him to go that far.

Still blushing somewhat, Zim started to smirk a bit and shake his head. "Hmm...Well yes, Dib. Now let me show you how stupid that was." He crawled over to him and grabbed both his hands to pull them away from his face so he could press his lips up against Dib's.

His blush taking over his entire face now as Zim kissed him, Dib blinked his eyes wide open. His hands in Zim's grip beginning to shake a bit, they then grew still as he slowly let his eyes slip halfway closed. He kissed back just a bit. "Mmmm..." He sounded out contently.

Watching them, Gir sat back on the floor. "D'awwww...How kewt!" He looked down at the vibrator in his hand and smiled. "Wait here, Squishy. I'll go get us some ice-cream!" He set it down on the dresser next to Dib's bed and left the room to go rummage through the kitchen downstairs.

Smiling a bit into the kiss, Zim let go of Dib's hands to wrap his arms around him. Letting himself purposefully slip off the bed onto the covers below them, he then pulled Dib on top of him, causing them both to make an 'oof' sound before pulling away for a second time. Pushing himself back into the kiss after a moment, Zim then slipped his tongue into the other's mouth.

Gripping Zim's uniform top tightly, Dib pressed into the kiss also, though not enough to take control of it as he let Zim take the lead, guiding him along as the Irken explored his mouth with his tongue.

Wrapping his tongue around Dib's, Zim dragged it along the inside of the boy's mouth before pushing himself up into the kiss with more force. Arms wrapped firmly around his back, he then pulled him against his body more.

Wrapping his legs around Zim's thin frame as the alien pulled him in closer, Dib hesitantly ran his hands down the Irken's sides to his hips.

Blinking his eyes slightly open for a moment, Zim then re-closed them after relaxing again. "Mmmm." He rubbed one hand down Dib's back.

Peeking his eyes open to stare down at Zim, Dib's body shivered as he felt the Irken's hand falling further and further down his back.

His hand dropping a bit more, Zim ran it over Dib's behind and down the back of his leg. He rubbed his hand there for a moment.

Having nearly forgotten he was still without clothes from the night before, Dib flushed a deep red at the feeling of Zim's hand passing over his bare bottom. "Mmmm..." He squeezed his eyes tightly shut in a shy sort of way.

Doing the same thing with his other hand, Zim caressed the sides of his legs with both hands now. Pulling away from the kiss to smile up at him after a moment, he then gave him a few affectionate licks to the side of his face, almost as if attempting to calm the other.

Peeking one eye open to stare down at Zim's amused face, Dib then blushed as Zim gave his cheek another lick with his serpentine tongue, causing his fingers to twitch at the Irken's hips.

Staring up at Dib for a moment, Zim then slid his arms up his body to rest at his shoulders, moving himself up briefly to peck Dib on the lips before staring at him in slight anticipation.

Blushing an even deeper red at the expectant look he was receiving from the other, Dib blinked down at Zim confused, unsure of what to do next and beginning to panic somewhat. "Wh-What? Why are you staring at me like that?" He shifted his eyes off to the side shyly, feeling just a bit nervous now.

"Huh? L-Like what?" Zim pretended not to know what the other was talking about, though the blush forming on his face easily gave him away.

Dib felt as though his face were on fire now. "L-Like that! Like how you're looking at me right now!" He exclaimed, getting flustered all over again.

Eyes widening, Zim sank down a bit at having Dib shout at him. Turning his face to the side slightly, eyes still fixed on the human hovering over him, he then frowned a bit in a mixture of confusion and embarrassment, blush not leaving his face.

Noticing Zim's reaction to his words, Dib pulled his hands back away from Zim's hips to hold close to his chest as he bowed his head and closed his eyes. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to..." He hesitated, unsure whether he was apologizing for just yelling or for not knowing what Zim wanted him to do too. "Mmmm...Sorry..." His voice fell down to a whisper.

No longer frowning, Zim turned his face to blink up at him before shrugging and pretending not to be bothered by it. "Oh, it...it's okay." He moved a finger on Dib's shoulder and drew his attention to it, blush refusing to die down on his face.

Still feeling horrible that he'd ruined the moment between them by sucking at all of this, Dib blinked his eyes open to stare down at Zim, wishing that he could read the other's facial expressions as easily as he had been able to in the past when they had still been enemies. Dropping his eyes down to the ground, his entire body then seemed to deflate. "I'm not very good at this, am I?" He said after some time had passed in silence.

Zim looked back up at him in surprise. "What!?..." He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head quickly before staring up at him again, trying to look as reassuring as he possibly could as he waved his hands a bit. "N-No! Pfff! That's just stupid, Dib...I mean, w-we can just stop if...if this feels weird to you or...or whatever..." He smiled up at him weakly, feeling rather embarrassed now.

At those words, Dib looked up at Zim suddenly. "N-No! I mean...I-It's not that I want to stop. I just..." He bowed his head again, eyes glazing over. "I just don't want to do anything either of us are going to regret." He finally brought his gaze back up to look at Zim again. "I've never done anything like this before, and I just don't want to do something that will make you hate me unless...unless you want it too..." He said, feeling just as uncertain as he had felt at the beginning of all this.

Until next time~


	33. Chapter 33

Dib Is Sick Chapter 33: Permission

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Staring at Dib confused for a few moments, Zim then shook his head at the human's words. "But...You can't do anything that would make me hate you, Dib. I mean, you're the human here, so-..." He pressed his fingers together and stared at them for a moment. "Uhm...Well, I've just been doing whatever I felt like to you this whole time, so...You can do what you want to Zim." He looked back up at him, blushing at what he had just said to the other.

"But I don't want to do what I want to you unless you're comfortable with it!"

Slowly moving his gaze over to Dib's shoulder and running a finger on it again, Zim raised a brow at him for shouting, blushing a bit as he spoke. "But...I want you...To do what you want to do...to Zim." He said, all the while keeping his gaze fixed on his moving finger.

Slightly upset with the fact that Zim wouldn't listen to him, Dib flushed a deep red at the feeling of Zim running his finger along his shoulder as he sniffled and tried to calm back down. Leaning down to press his forehead against Zim's, he then closed his eyes and let a few tears slip down his cheeks. Murmuring a few words quietly so the other couldn't hear him, he nuzzled his wet face to the Irken's. "...You idiot..." He said as he felt himself breaking down even more.

Eyes widening when he felt Dib's tears rubbing up against his face, Zim then suddenly frowned a bit from being called at idiot. "...W-What's wrong?" He put his hands on Dib's arms, rubbing his thumbs on them and looking over at him with concern.

Rubbing at his eyes, Dib pulled away a bit and shook his head before smiling back at the Irken. "Nothing..." He leaned back in to press a kiss to Zim's lips gently, pulling away after a moment to run his lips down from Zim's chin to the crook of his neck, blinking lazily as he gave it a few affectionate little licks.

Looking back at him a little confused for a moment, Zim's eyes then fell half lidded as Dib kissed him. Moving his head to the side a bit, he then allowed the other to work at his neck, moving his hands softly up Dib's arms to rest on his shoulders.

Nibbling lightly on the other's skin, the flesh there gave in just a bit as Dib grazed his teeth along it and continued to pass his tongue over every area his mouth touched, applying just a little bit of pressure in some areas more so than others.

"Mmm." Zim closed his eyes fully, moving a hand from Dib's shoulder to slide up his neck and into his hair, lightly pushing Dib to his neck more and clasping a little harder on his shoulder with his other hand.

Latching his mouth onto the other's neck, Dib suckled at the skin there as he moved one of his own hands up the alien's body to the top of his head to grasp one of the antennas lightly and begin rubbing it between his fingers.

Gasping suddenly and then exhaling out slowly, Zim let out a faint moan, antenna twitching in Dib's fingers. Wrapping his legs around the other, his fingers then curled in Dib's hair as he brought up his other hand to lightly run his fingers on his back.

Feeling Zim's hips press up to his own, Dib pressed his hips into it more as he finally pulled his mouth away from the bruised skin on Zim's neck so he could bring the other's antenna down to pull the tip into his mouth.

Squeezing his legs around him tighter, Zim wrapped both arms up around his back. Breathing heavily against Dib's neck, he then gave it a few licks.

Flicking the tip of Zim's antenna with his tongue a few times, Dib sighed contently and ran his mouth back and forth along the length of the thin stalk, taking his time to wrap his tongue completely around every inch of it that he could reach with his mouth.

"Ahh...Mmmm." Zim squeezed his eyes tightly shut, lightly scratching his fingers on Dib's back and breathing a bit faster before relaxing slightly and licking at his neck and shoulders, still breathing heavily against him.

His breath tickling the other's antenna, Dib breathed in deeply through his nose before exhaling slowly. "Mmmm...Zim..." He reached up his free hand to stroke Zim's other antenna.

The other antenna twitching under Dib's warm breath, Zim inhaled quickly at the attention being given to his antennae before opening his eyes a tiny bit. "Mmm...Dib...That feels...so good." He re-closed his eyes, rubbing a hand down Dib's back while sucking at the skin on his neck.

Breathing beginning to grow heavier with the feel of Zim's working mouth, Dib's body shivered as a wave of something indescribable washed over his body.

Dragging his tongue along to his shoulder and back up his neck again, Zim breathed warm air against Dib's skin as he did this. Squeezing his legs around him tightly again, he then subconsciously rubbed himself up against the human.

Letting a small groan escape his lips at the sensation, Dib gasped slightly as he felt his member stiffen just a bit at the small bit of stimulation before pressing himself flush against Zim. "Mmmm..." he continued his work on Zim's antennae as he let his free hand trail down the Irken's body to the rim of his shirt.

Feeling a sensation suddenly run through him from all the attention his antennae were getting, Zim moaned out a bit as his member hardened up against Dib's. Hands at Dib's shoulders, he then gave him a few more affectionate licks to his neck.

Pressing the palm of his free hand to Zim's stomach, underneath his shirt, Dib began to feel his way up from his stomach to his chest, the smooth skin there making Dib utter a satisfied sigh against Zim's antennae.

"Mmmm." Zim slightly arched up his chest as Dib's warm hands pressed against it before moving a hand down to pull his shirt up a bit so he could put both hands at Dib's sides and rub them there gently.

Finally pulling his mouth away from Zim's antenna, Dib brought it down to trail kisses along his chest, his fingers following that trail. Leaving his other hand though, he continued stroking Zim's other antenna.

Shuddering a bit as a small gasp escaped him, Zim brought down both hands from Dib's sides for a moment to pull his shirt off before placing one arm on Dib's back and his other hand to the back of Dib's head, pushing him lightly to his chest more.

Until next time~


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Alright. So here's the deal, you guys. This next chapter IS indeed an 18+ chapter. So, if you'd like to read the adult version, please either look it up on DA OR find the link to the FA version in my profile. YES, you do need an account to access the chapter on these sites. And YES, you do need to be 18 or older in order to view the content of these chapters. (Also keep in mind that you may have to adjust your mature content settings on FA before you'll be able to see the chapter.)

Things I will NOT do:

Post the full sex scene here on FF.

Send the chapter in a PM to anybody who asks me.

Kindly refrain from sending me any messages about how some people get away with posting sexual content here on FF. The bottom line is, sexual content is NOT allowed here on FF. Regardless of whether people get away with it or not, that does not make everybody immune to having their stories removed. I have had stories removed in the past and I refuse to put myself in such a situation with this story. After all, it only takes one report to have a story completely removed from this site. So please bare that in mind before you decide to all come harassing me about it.

Don't believe me about FF's rules on sexual content? Then please see my Chapter 25 A/N for a more detailed run-through of this site's rules and regulations. I'm serious, you guys. Please no messages about my decision not to post the full sex scene here. I am tired to going over this every time I post a chapter with sexual content in it. I would really appreciate it if you guys would try to see where I'm coming from in all this and just respect my decision not to post that sort of content here on FF.

That said, I hope you guys otherwise enjoy this carefully edited version of Chapter 34. And no. It was just planned that this story would have a Chapter 34 sex scene. The fact that ZO and DIS both have sexual content in their Chapter 34's is completely coincidental.

Dib Is Sick Chapter 34: Exploration

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Dragging his tongue along the trail of kisses he just left on Zim's chest, Dib suckled and kissed the skin there along the way, nipping at the soft skin in a few places.

"Uhhh..." Zim moved his chest upwards a tiny bit more, putting both arms around Dib, hugging him into himself and enjoying all the attention he was getting.

Releasing Zim's antennae so he could run both hands down the other's sides to rest at the rim of his pants again, Dib hesitated again as his fingers twitched just a bit, holding the other's hips close to his own. Opening his eyes halfway to look back up at Zim from where he was kissing his chest, he then waited for some sign that the other gave him permission to continue.

Opening his eyes slightly, Zim's face blushed as he looked over at Dib, one antennae twitching a bit as he lifted his hips up slightly, anticipating his next move.

A blush on his own face, Dib squeezed his eyes shut and tilted his head back as Zim lifted his hips up, the slight bulge in the alien's pants rubbing up against his member. "Mmmm...Nyah..." He brought his shaking hands around front to begin fiddling with Zim's pants, trying to undo them so he could slide them down but having difficulty doing so because of how nervous he was and how much his hands were shaking.

Peeking an eye open to look over at Dib again, Zim couldn't help but smile, amused by his struggling and nervousness. Bringing a hand down to undo his pants, he then took one of Dib's hands and moved it to the rim so he could slide them down, moving his hand away to rub at Dib's sides gently again as he watched him curiously, blush re-appearing on his face.

Not 100% sure what to expect, Dib hesitated to slip his hand underneath the rim of Zim's pants. Lifting his eyes to give Zim one last shy look, he then gulped, his blush growing as he finally allowed his hand to dive under in search of what, he wasn't completely sure.

Inhaling suddenly and holding his breath, Zim squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head to one side a bit as he felt Dib's warm hand sliding further down underneath his pants. His blush darkening, he then opened one eye halfway to watch Dib.

*Sex Scene Starts Here. See Link In Profile For Full FA Version. The Rest Of This Chapter Takes Place After The Sex Scene Ends*

"Heh..." Zim smiled over at him sleepily, quickly wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling into the side of his chest comfortably, antennas bouncing on his head.

His face growing redder underneath the covers as he squeezed his legs together tightly, Dib wiggled about in Zim's grip a bit, his hard on from earlier slowly dissipating as soon as he stopped struggling so much.

"Diiib." Zim brought up a hand to lift up the covers and peek in, smiling up at him happily. "Why are you hiding from Zim?" He asked in an all too amused voice.

Blinking down at Zim, Dib blushed and shifted his gaze away shyly. "N-No reason..." He said, playing with the bed sheets bashfully.

Not believing him, Zim pouted at him for a moment before smirking and completely pulling the covers away from him. "Good. Then you have no reason to hide from me." He nodded and then laid himself comfortably on top of Dib, resting his chin in his arms and smiling up at him happily, antennas bouncing on his head again.

Trying to grab back the covers but failing miserably, Dib let out a small whine as he flailed helplessly. Blinking wide eyes down at Zim, he then blushed even more at the sudden closeness.

Looking at him a little puzzled now, Zim stopped smiling. "Hm?...What's wrong?" He asked, moving himself up on him even more and pressing his hands down onto either side of Dib to lean over him, head slightly tilted as he looked down at him in puzzlement. "Do you feel sick again?" He then asked, pressing a hand to his forehead.

His cheeks still a bright red, Dib began playing with his fingers as he stared up at Zim. "Ummm...Ummm..." He calmed almost instantly at the feel of Zim's cool hand on his forehead and let his eyes fall half-lidded. "I feel...tired..." The word just barely slipped past his lips before he closed his eyes and blacked out on the other.

"Oh...Me too. Let's sleep for a bit then, hm?" Zim looked down at him for a moment and frowned when he didn't get an answer back, snapping his fingers in front of his face before his eyes then grew wide. "Dib?" He rubbed a hand on his chest to see if he got any reaction from him while looking at him worriedly. Picking him up from the floor and laying him onto his bed, he then carefully rested Dib's head on a pillow and put the covers around him. Getting underneath the covers to lay on his side next to Dib, he stroked the boy's hair, still looking at him worriedly until he eventually dozed off from feeling so tired himself.

And there you have it for the edited version of Chapter 34! Until next time~


	35. Chapter 35

Dib Is Sick Chapter 35: Rape

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Sleeping peacefully for a good 45 minutes, Dib finally blinked his eyes open again. "Hmmm? What happened?" He looked to his side where Zim was sleeping. "Hmmm?" He climbed up on top of Zim's sleeping body to stare down at him curiously. "Was it all just...a dream?" He reached down to take one of Zim's hands so he could pull a long, slender lime-green finger into his mouth and suck on it as he sank down in the covers to rest on top of Zim, watching him lazily through half-lidded eyes.

Scrunching up his face and squirming around in his sleep from all the sudden shifting, Zim whined before relaxing and feeling comfortable again. "Hmmmm." His finger twitched in Dib's mouth for a moment.

At the sudden twitch of Zim's finger in his mouth, Dib blinked his eyes open more. "Mmmm..." He ran his tongue all along the length of the digit before wrapping his tongue around it completely and giving it a thorough suckle.

"Mmmm...Mm." Zim wrapped his legs up around Dib, turning his head to the side and starting to lick his tongue against the pillow, stopping his licking of it once he realized it didn't feel very nice, coughed, and then whined out quietly in his sleep. "Mmmph...Dib." His antennas began twitching a bit.

Letting go of Zim's finger the second the Irken wrapped his legs around him, Dib blushed as he felt something long and slightly hard pressed up against his leg before trying to struggle away from it just to have Zim cling to him and let out another small whine at all the movement. The Irken now holding him down, pressed to his body, he let out his own small little whimper.

Sliding his legs further down Dib's body to wrap them tightly around his lower back and force their hips together, Zim 's arms and legs remained firmly wrapped around the other, his member now pressed up against Dib's. "Mmmm..."He nuzzled his face against Dib's neck before planting a few small licks onto it.

Trying to claw his way out like a trapped kitten, Dib flailed his arms helplessly when he felt Zim's member slide up against his own before finally giving up when he realized the Irken had him firmly secured in place. "Help me..." He whimpered, trying to remain calm but failing miserably.

Smirking and giggling evilly in his sleep, Zim rubbed himself up against Dib a little and licked his tongue along his shoulders, one antenna brushing past Dib's cheek as he did this and then pressing against his lips, pushing into his mouth slightly so the tip rested between his teeth.

Letting out a small whimper, Dib licked the tip of Zim's antenna with his tongue in hopes that it would wake the other up so he'd let him go. Realizing that all it was really doing was giving Zim a slight hard on however, he then blushed insanely.

Moaning out and shuddering from the attention his antenna was getting, Zim forced it further into Dib's mouth before squeezing his legs around him even tighter, claws pressing against the skin of Dib's back as he suddenly bucked up his hips, causing the other to jolt with shock.

Not at all comfortable with the situation or the fact that he was unable to remove Zim's antenna from his mouth due to how forcefully he was shoving it in there at the moment, Dib began struggling desperately to escape. "Mmmm!" He sounded out around the antenna.

His eyes peeking open a little at all Dib's struggling, Zim jumped a bit and completely snapped his eyes wide open to look at Dib in surprise, his other antenna perking up and a blush suddenly forming on his face. "Uuh...Whuh?" He stared at the other rather confused now.

Practically sobbing now, Dib panted just as soon as Zim pulled his antenna out of his mouth, trying to catch his breath. "You practically raped me in your sleep!" He blurted out between pants.

Looking up at Dib startled and a bit confused, Zim rubbed his eyes quickly. "R-Raped you!?...Are you sure?...But...I don't remember doing anythi-...Uhhmm...What exactly...WAS I doing?" He asked, looking up at Dib nervously.

Still a bit shaken, Dib looked back at Zim. "You wouldn't let me go! And kept rubbing your...ummm...your..." He blushed insanely. "Well, let's just say you wouldn't stop pressing your hips up against me! And the fact that your pants are still undone wasn't exactly helping the situation! A-And...You were forcing your antenna into my mouth and lifting your hips every time it brushed against my tongue." He said with a blush before looking away to one side.

"...WHAT?! " Zim also blushed insanely, looking back at Dib in horror. "But...But I didn't...Eh...Heh...It's not...I just...I...You..." He threw his arms over his face to hide from the other. "...I'm in trouble..." He finally said, expecting the worst from Dib.

Suddenly feeling rather guilty for having told the other what happened, Dib looked over at Zim then down at the covers as he fiddled with them nervously before finally speaking up. "B-But I'll forgive you...Just this once...Because you woke up before going all the way." he hugged the covers tightly to his chest, still feeling fairly exposed and embarrassed.

Zim peeked over at Dib at those words. "Y-You will!?...Oh..." He lowered his arms down and looked at the covers. "Well...Uh...If I ever do something like...like THAT again...Just...Oh, I don't know...Yank one of my antennas or something...And I'll wake up." He looked up at Dib for a moment before throwing his hands up to his face. "Oh, this is just-...Ugh!...I can't believe I...UGHH!...Sorry..." He apologized, still feeling rather flustered over all this.

"I-It's alright. I-I was just s-scared for a moment that y-you wouldn't wake up. B-But I know you wouldn't do that to me while you're awake." Dib leaned forward a bit to press his forehead to Zim's chest though he remained staring off to the side dazedly, as though he were still quite a bit shaken by the whole ordeal himself.

"...Mmm...Okay." Zim lowered his hands and put one of them on Dib's hair to stroke apologetically. "Heh. I really did all that in my sleep? Well, I hope I didn't scare you too much." He smiled for a moment and then looked a bit puzzled again. "So...I just pulled you on top of me and started...doing things to you?...Weird." He said, finding the situation rather odd in itself.

Dib's face flared up a bright red. "W-Well...Not exactly. I-I was awake first so I crawled up on top of you while I was waiting for you to wake up and then THAT'S when you started doing all those things to me..." He hid his face in the blankets a bit.

For a moment, Zim looked at him with a blank expression. "...Ohhh. Okay." He shrugged and smiled over at Dib a little, continuing to stroke his hair. "Heh. I still feel kind of bad though...So, um...How are you feeling anyway? I mean, like um...You know. With your illness and stuff?" He said, wanting to know how the other was otherwise.

"Ummm...No worse than I was feeling already when I last fell asleep, I guess..."

"Well...Maybe that means you're getting better?..." Zim suddenly felt a little awkward before he then snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh wait! You blacked out AGAIN on me earlier!" He looked at him a little concerned. "But...You're okay now, right?" He placed a hand to Dib's forehead as he asked.

Dib blinked lazily at Zim. "I did? I don't really remember. But I guess I'm okay right now..." He said, not so sure that was a good thing or bad that he couldn't recall the incident."

Until next time~


	36. Chapter 36

Dib Is Sick Chapter 36: Antibiotics

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Nodding his head as though to confirm his own words, Zim continued, feeling just a tad bit worried himself that Dib couldn't remember passing out on him. "Yep. You did. So I lifted you onto the bed...But seeing as you're okay now...Ummm..." He looked off to the side and mumbled quietly. "Mmm...Maybe you should take the medicine? In case something happens again?" he suggested, wanting nothing more than for Dib to get better already.

"Oh..." Dib closed his eyes and pressed himself close to Zim, letting out another tired yawn.

Giving his hair one last stroke and looking over at him, Zim sighed, tempted to cuddle up to him but shaking his head quickly and grabbing the medicine from the side table, holding it in front of Dib and waving it in front of his face a little, gesturing for him to take it. "Mmmmm?" He sounded out, trying to coax the other into taking it now.

Blinking his eyes open to stare at the bottle for a few moments, Dib moved his hand up a bit as though to take it but dropped it a few seconds later and shook his head while pulling away to hide under the covers.

"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad!" Zim opened the bottle and took a sniff of its contents, winced, and then pulled back from it in disgust. "Uhhh...Mmmm..." He sighed and lightly pulled at the covers. "Please?" He said, not knowing what else he could say to convince the other.

"I'm not thirsty..."

"Uh...Yeah." Zim sounded unimpressed now. "Somehow, Dib, I really think there's clearly more to this than just not being 'thirsty.'" He said before shaking his head, finding Dib's refusal to take the medicine getting a little ridiculous.

Pulling down the covers, Dib glared at Zim. "You think I'm being difficult on purpose again! Well, I'm not! But because you refuse to believe me about not feeling well, I guess I'll have to prove it to you somehow!" He snapped before grabbing the bottle from Zim, pouring some of the liquid into the bottle's cap, and downing it before making a disgusted face.

Zim looked a little shocked. "...Mmmkay..." He slowly and cautiously took the bottle back from Dib and put it to the side again. "Uhh...Well, at least you actually tried it this time... Even though I'm pretty sure you're mad with me right now." he looked down at the covers. "But...You know that stuff is supposed to help you." He tried to make the situation better by reminding the other of that.

Anger slowly diminishing, Dib's face paled somewhat. "I feel sick..." He hugged the covers tightly to himself and hid his face in them, eyes squeezed tightly shut as he let out a small sob, trying to keep everything he had just drank down in his stomach.

"W-What?!" Zim looked at him in a mixture of guilt and panic, unsure if he should try to comfort him or not. Running a hand on his back in a hopeless attempt to calm him, he then looked at him guiltily and concerned.

"I told you I wasn't feeling well enough to drink it! Now my stomach's upset!" Dib exclaimed through his sobs, bringing his arms down to wrap around his stomach as he rocked himself back and forth.

Sitting himself up in front of Dib, Zim hugged himself and looked at him extremely guiltily, nodding a little then scooting a bit nearer to him and nervously holding his arms up, offering comfort to the other.

Looking up at Zim through tear-filled eyes, Dib leaned into the other's arms, burying his face in the Irken's chest and crying even more.

Wrapping his arms around him, Zim rubbed one of his hands on Dib's back soothingly. "...I...I guess I should have listened to you...I'm sorry." His voice sounded a little strained as he stroked his hair with his other hand gently, nuzzling his face against it and closing his eyes. In doing so, a few tears slipped out and dampened Dib's hair slightly.

Peeking up from Zim's chest, Dib lifted one hand to wipe away the Irken's tears gently with his fingers, sniffling and wiping his own eyes on Zim's uniform top.

Feeling a little embarrassed for being caught crying in front of him again, Zim blushed as Dib wiped away his tears, closing his eyes and holding him close, giving him a small love lick to his forehead before gently nuzzling against the top of his head again.

His body shaking a bit in Zim's arms, Dib continued sniffling. "Zim..." he said in a quiet whisper.

Lifting his face from Dib's hair to give it a stroke with one hand, Zim opened his eyes and looked down at him. "Mmm?" He sounded out in a small show of acknowledgement that he had heard the other.

Dib returned his arms to his stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick..." He said again, trying to will the pain away but feeling it a losing battle.

Zim's eyes grew wide. "...Oh." He moved Dib so that he was supported in his arms so he could lift him up if needed. Looking over at the door, he then looked back at Dib. "Bathroom?" He asked, not sure whether Dib was going to lose it or not.

Trying to keep everything down for the time being, Dib nodded his head slowly.

Zim nodded. "Right." He bolted up holding Dib and moved to the door quickly, opening it and darting to the bathroom with him before setting him down in front of the toilet carefully.

Sitting up on his knees so he could hang over the toilet, Dib started clearing his system of anything that was in it, the action painful despite how little he had in his stomach to begin with. Beginning to cough as he attempted to catch his breath once he was finished, he then let out a startled gasp upon peeking his eyes open and seeing that there was mostly blood in his vomit.

His face turned away the whole time but running a hand on Dib's back, Zim turned his head to look at Dib once he heard him gasp and reluctantly peeked into the toilet, throwing a hand up to his mouth in shock and disgust before looking back at Dib. "Uh...Wait here." He darted into the bedroom to grab the glass of water and take it back to the bathroom, placing it in Dib's hands so he could wash out the worst of it from his mouth.

Until next time~


	37. Chapter 37

Dib Is Sick Chapter 37: Fault

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Taking the glass of water being offered to him with shaking hands, Dib poured it into his mouth just so he could wash it out before spitting it into the toilet and flushing everything down. Slowly pushing himself up onto shaky legs, he then groaned out lowly, still holding his stomach. "Ugh...That hurt..." He said, throat burning and stomach feeling as though it had been impaled.

Moving himself nearer to him, Zim helped him onto his feet and held him up. "Dib. Mmmf...This was...My fault...I..."He looked down at the floor, ashamed.

Wincing as a sharp pain shot through his body from his abdomen, Dib shook his head slowly. "It's okay...It wasn't your fault...You just wanted me to get better." He said before leaning up heavily against Zim.

Trying to keep his balance for a moment, Zim took the glass from Dib and set it onto the floor before wrapping one arm around his back while using his other to scoop Dib's legs up from the floor to hold him again and take him back to the bedroom. Laying him down onto the bed, he then brought the covers up over him, looking off to the side guiltily as he did this.

Clinging to one of Zim's arms after being set down on the bed, Dib pressed his cheek to it and blinked off into space.

Shifting his gaze back over to Dib, Zim ran a hand through his hair and looked down at him sadly before looking at the bed covers, unsure of what to say to the other.

Without looking up at Zim, Dib closed his eyes and clung even tighter to the Irken's arm. "I love you, Zim..." He said before opening his eyes to stare up at the other's face, frowning a bit when he saw that the antennas he loved to watch oh so much weren't dancing back and forth on top of the alien's head like normal but rather hanging down in defeat.

Lifting his head a little to stare back at the other, Zim quickly shifted his gaze to the side and brought up his free arm to rub over his eyes, biting down on his bottom lip to stop it from quivering or accidentally letting out a whimper.

Eyes narrowing a bit, Dib yanked Zim onto the bed closer to him so he could reach a hand up and take hold of the other's chin, forcing him to look back down at him. "Now, stop it. I already told you it wasn't your fault. So no more tears, okay?" He pressed his lips to Zim's for a moment before pulling away to send the Irken a small smile and wipe his tears away with his fingers again.

Moving his eyes to the side, Zim blushed and frowned a little. "But...But I wasn't crying..." He looked back at Dib in defeat and nodded his head slightly as he wiped away his tears, looking down at the bed covers again while fiddling with them, still blushing quite a bit.

Pushing part of the bed covers away so he could pull Zim closer, Dib tucked them around the both of them and got comfortable pressed up against the Irken's body.

Closing his eyes and nuzzling up against him comfortably, Zim wrapped his arms around him, blinking out a few last tears. "Dib..." He murmured out the other's name.

Dib smiled a little. "Don't cry. I'm not mad at you anymore." He kissed Zim's forehead and then his wet cheeks.

"Mm...I'm not..." Zim rubbed his eyes quickly and looked back at him, eyes still a bit wet. "And I wouldn't care if you were mad with Zim...I just want you to...to be okay and..." He put his arms back around him and nuzzled his face into his chest, mumbling out quietly. "And I...love you...Too." He said in a muffled voice.

Resting a cheek against the top of Zim's head gently, Dib ran his fingers along the length of one of his antennas soothingly. "I know you do...And...If you think it will help, I'll..." He hesitated before swallowing thickly. "I'll let you take me to a hospital for medical treatment." He said before shuddering.

Surprised by those words, Zim looked up at Dib. "Really? You will? Even though it terrifies you?" He hugged him tightly, smiling up at him happily and nodding. "Yes. Zim will take you to a hospital...And I won't leave your side for a minute while you're there, but...Are you sure you want to go through with it?" He asked, knowing how hard that must have been for Dib to agree to.

Dib shook his head. "N-No, I'm not sure...And that's why you better not leave me for even one second! Cause if you do, I'm sure to freak out while I'm there. But I don't want you to worry about me anymore." He hid his face against Zim's head.

"I just want you to get better...And if there's a chance that they will fix this, then I will take you...And...I won't leave you alone." Zim took one of Dib's hands and entwined his fingers with Dib's, putting a kiss on each of his fingers. "Not even for a second." He promised.

Lifting his head, Dib looked down at Zim and sniffled. "I don't care what you have to do. Just don't let them separate us." He said, his earlier fear showing through again.

Starting to feel a little uncertain about all this too, Zim looked up at Dib and nodded. "Dib, I won't let them." He squeezed his hand a little harder. "I won't." He then said as reassurance more for himself.

All this talk about hospitals making him feel tired again, Dib closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Zim's. "I'm really tired..." He yawned a bit.

Planting a small lick onto his cheek and closing his eyes again, Zim eased his grip on his hand and brought it up to stroke the back of Dib's head, nodding slightly for a short moment.

Nuzzling his face to Zim's chest comfortably and letting out a small yawn, Dib curled in on himself a bit.

Moving his hand down from Dib's hair to wrap his arm around him and hug him in closely, Zim lightly rubbed his face into Dib's hair, sniffing at it a bit before quietly sighing out in content and becoming still.

Breathing gently against the other's chest and clinging to the front of his uniform tightly, Dib fell asleep fairly quickly.

Until next time~


	38. Chapter 38

Dib Is Sick Chapter 38: Nightmare

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Opening his eyes slightly to watch Dib as he slept, Zim couldn't help but smile a bit at having Dib clinging to his uniform top. His mind still racing, he felt unable to drop off as quickly as the other. Before long, however, he finally felt himself drifting off to sleep with the human pressed close to him for warmth.

Letting out a small whine, Dib shifted in his sleep a bit and shivered. "Mmmm...Mom..." He murmured, tightening his hold on Zim's shirt.

Zim frowned in his sleep from all the shifting. "Mm...Mmm?" He peeked his eyes half open at Dib for a short moment before shuffling up nearer to him to get comfortable again.

Tugging at the covers in his sleep, Dib pulled them over his head as though to hide. "Mom...Mommy..." He let out a small whimper.

Opening his eyes fully at hearing that, Zim rubbed the top of his head, blinking sleepily and pushing himself up a little to pull at the covers. "...Dib?" He said, trying to get the other to come out from his hiding place.

His body shivering even more underneath them, Dib clung to the covers tightly. "Mom?...Mom!" he began to scream in his sleep, in the midst of a nightmare.

Zim gave him a shake. "Dib!" He pulled at the covers again but harder, struggling but managing to pull them away before grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking him lightly. "Dib, wake up!" He said, still not able to wake him as he looked down at him worriedly, lightly rubbing his hands on Dib's arms.

Letting out a small sob just to open his eyes a few moments later, Dib pulled away from Zim at the shaking before becoming still and staring up at Zim with tears welling in his eyes. "H-Huh? Wh-Where am I?" He said, feeling rather disoriented in that moment.

Zim stared back at him a bit confused. "Uh...In your room with Zim, remember?" He shook his head, looking down at him calmly before he wiped away Dib's tears with his thumbs in an attempt to calm the other. "...I think you were having a nightmare or something." He said as he finished wiping as much moisture from Dib's eyes as he could.

"Oh..." Dib hugged the covers tightly again, sniffling a bit. "I saw my mom...She was in the hospital again..." He said after several moment of silence had passed between the two.

"Oh..." Zim shifted his eyes to the side for a moment before looking back at him and running a hand down the side of Dib's arm. "So...What happened?...In the dream, I mean." He said, not wanting to pry too much into Dib's past.

Starting to tear up again, Dib pulled his knees to his chest before hiding his face in them. "I'd rather not talk about it." His voice came out strained.

Staring at him for a moment before nodding his head, Zim then moved up nearer to him, giving him a peck on the forehead and gently stroking the top of his head.

Needing that closeness and comfort for just a little while, Dib moved in closer so he could wrap his arms around Zim's waist and cry into the other's chest.

Hugging him tightly and rubbing his hand on his back soothingly, Zim pulled Dib up onto his lap. " It's okay. It was just a dream." He said, trying to calm the boy down.

Dib could only shake his head at those words however. "But it wasn't just a dream! It all really happened! She died in a hospital, and I'll never see her again!" He hid his face in Zim's neck.

Rubbing a hand on his hair again, Zim fell silent for a moment. "...I'm sorry...About what happened to her, and to you...But...You won't die in a hospital, Dib." He tried to reassure the other of that as he was certain Dib was just afraid of going to one himself still.

Dib choked back a sob. "Y-You don't know that for sure! She did! They told us they could save her, but they didn't! They just let her die and didn't even let us say goodbye to her!" He exclaimed all too suddenly, throwing Zim a bit off guard.

Unsure of what to say to the other for a moment, Zim kissed his cheek as he hugged him in tightly again with one arm while still stroking his hair with his other hand. "I would never let that happen to you, Dib...And like I said, I wouldn't leave you alone...Not even for a single second." He promised, not wanting the other to change his mind about going.

Lifting his head to look up at Zim through tear-filled eyes, Dib's eyes grew wide when he realized that his vision was suddenly blurring again.

Putting a hand to his face and wiping away some of his tears, Zim stared down at him, face looking puzzled suddenly as Dib's eyes widened. "You okay?" He asked when he noticed Dib beginning to lose color in his face.

The color and outline of Zim's body becoming lost in a mess of visual snow, Dib's breathing suddenly grew shallower and shallower the more his vision worsened. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he then felt himself losing his balance and falling off to one side.

Jumping a bit, Zim's own eyes widened as he leaned over him and rubbed the sides of Dib's arms, looking down at him scared, his voice sounding panicky now. "Dib?!...Ugh!...Come on! Don't do this to me again!" He tried to bring the other out it.

His body shaking, Dib curled in on himself at the small touch. "St-Stop! It hurts!" he said before bringing his hands up to his mouth and coughing into them uncontrollably.

Pulling his hands away quickly, unsure of what he should do now, Zim watched him worriedly, scratching at the back of his hand nervously as he knew he couldn't comfort Dib without hurting him in the process.

Until next time~


	39. Chapter 39

Dib Is Sick Chapter 39: Hospital

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Finally managing to get his coughing somewhat under control for the time being, Dib gasped for air as his hands were now covered in blood and everything hurt thanks to his fever, which had grown even worse than it'd been before. "Z-Zim...I can't move..." He said once he had settled some.

Grabbing some tissue from the side, Zim's eyes grew wide at seeing all the blood before he very carefully took his hand to gently wipe it away. Doing his best not to hurt him in the process, he then looked down at Dib with even more worry than before. "Dib, I'm taking you to a hospital...Right now." He said, getting up to gather a few of his things before leaving.

Eyes snapping wide open at those words, Dib followed Zim's movements with his eyes, watching him as he grabbed his disguise and hurried over to his closet to grab him a clean pair of pajamas just to return and carefully dress him in them before scooping him and the covers around him up into his arms, causing him to let out a pained scream before curling up in Zim's arms as he clung to the other's uniform top. Breathing growing more labored, he then forced one eye open to look up at Zim. "Whatever you do, Zim, just don't let them separate us! I don't want you leaving for even one second. Not for even...One second..." He said before closing his eyes and beginning to repeat himself over and over again as Zim carried him out of his room. "You can't leave me...You can't...You can't..." He continued rambling like that for a while now.

Walking him down the stairs and stopping at the front door for a moment, Zim debated on whether he should get Gir to bring the voot along again but decided against it as landing an alien space ship in a public place probably wouldn't be the best thing to do. Knowing that the hospital was not too far, he then decided he would just carry Dib there before looking down at him. "I'm not going to leave you, Dib. Not for a second. No-one is going to separate us." He said, lifting one arm to gently take his hand while supporting him with his other arm. "I wouldn't let that happen. No-one could take you away from Zim if they tried." He moved his hand away to open the door and head off into the streets, careful to walk as smoothly as possible so as not to hurt Dib as he carried him.

His body shaking in the other's grip uncontrollably, causing his teeth to chatter as though he were cold, Dib clung to Zim tightly. "Z-Zim...I-I-I can't br-breath..." He gasped for air, panting desperately in an attempt to keep himself from blacking out on the Irken again. Terrified now of what was going to happen to him, he then sobbed against Zim's chest. "I-I don't want t-to d-die! I-I'm s-scared!" His voice came out strained as it grew harder for him to speak.

Doing his best not to show his fear to the other as he spoke calmly to him, Zim began to grow more and more concerned by the minute. "Calm down. It's going to be okay. You're not going to die. You have Zim to protect you, so there is no reason to be scared." He said before looking up and stopping for a moment. This was taking too long and he needed to get Dib there now. He looked down at Dib again. "Dib, I'm going to have to move you for a second so I can get you there faster. I'll be as gentle as I can, okay?" He got down onto his knees and carefully moved Dib to lean up against his back, leaning himself forward and supporting him with his hands underneath him so he wouldn't fall. Once set into place, he then got back up and moved at a faster pace. "Hold on as best you can for now." He instructed the other before breaking into a jog for the hospital.

Wrapping his arms tightly around Zim and nodding his head against the other's back, Dib sniffled wetly and tried his best to keep back his tears now as Zim stood up and began picking up his pace until he was nearly running in the direction of the hospital. Lifting his head to look over Zim's shoulder, he then noticed the hospital in the distance approaching fast now before tucking his head back down to press against the Irken's back so he wouldn't have to see it.

Slowing to a stop before the hospital, Zim looked around quickly. "...Uhh...Where to go now..." He walked around it before finding large double doors with "Accident" and "Emergency" written above them. Guessing this was the right place to go, he then ran in through the doors to find a room with many chairs, very few occupied, plus a reception area. Panting and looking panicked, he stormed over to the receptionist. "He needs to see a doctor NOW!" he said all too demandingly.

Lifting her head from filing her nails, the receptionist looked at them both blankly for a moment.

"Don't just sit there, you filthy drone! Get someone to help him already!"

The receptionist raised an eyebrow. "...Very well. We'll send someone through as soon as we can." She said before returning to filing her nails.

"Zim..." Dib brought up one hand to cough into, letting out a sharp cry as the action caused a sharp pain to rip through his chest. Bringing the hand he just coughed into to his chest, he then held it there and squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

Moving Dib so he was holding him back in his arms again, Zim turned away from the receptionist and looked down at him worried again before looking up at another set of double doors. "...I don't have time for this." He said before storming through them quickly, the receptionist shouting at him from behind to stop and wait. Running into a separate room, he then stopped suddenly when he caught sight of someone standing in front of him, a woman in a uniform. "You! Please tell me you're a doctor or something! He needs help right now!" He exclaimed, hoping this person would be more helpful than the receptionist had been.

The nurse looked at them a little surprised. "No...But I can assess his condition to see if he needs to see a doctor if you just follow me please." She escorted them to a small room with a bed. "Okay. If you just place him up on here for me so I can take a look at him." She patted the bed before turning to retrieve something.

Hesitating for a moment, Zim then lifted him up onto the bed and stood near him.

"I'll need to take his temperature first." the nurse turned around with a thermometer before looking back at Zim. "Can you help by lifting his head while I hold this thermometer in his mouth until it beeps?" she asked, noticing that Dib had lost consciousness at some point.

"Uh...Okay." Zim lifted his head up a bit as the nurse put the thermometer into his mouth and held it there. They waited for a bit. Then, looking down at Dib again once the thermometer beeped, the nurse held it up to look at.

"Hmmm. That's quite high...Can you tell me anything about other symptoms that have occurred?"

"Uhh...He keeps coughing up blood...And he can't eat or drink anything." Zim looked down at Dib worried before looking back at the nurse again. "Plus he gets sudden changes in temperature...So, can you get rid of all this?" He asked, anxious for them to start some sort of treatment on Dib already so he would get better.

"Hmmm...Sounds like pneumonia. I'll have to call in a doctor to confirm it however. His temperature is at 104.6 degrees Fahrenheit right now. Can you tell me how long he's been like this? Because most pneumonia patients don't get temperatures so high. He really should have been brought in days ago if his symptoms had grown this bad."

Zim's eyes widened. "Oh...I-I don't know how long exactly...I tried giving him antibiotics...But that just made it worse. He wouldn't go into a hospital any sooner because he's terrified of them...So you have to let me stay with him at all times." He said, stepping even closer to Dib on the bed.

"Right. Well wait there with him for a moment while I go get a doctor. I won't be very long." The nurse headed out of the room.

Looking down at Dib worriedly, Zim took his hand.

Opening his eyes partway to look up at Zim when he felt the other squeeze his hand, Dib then let his eyes wander about the room they were in. "Wh-Where am I?" He winced as he attempted to sit up so he could take a better look around.

Smiling at him a little, Zim helped him to sit up properly. "Believe it or not, you're in a hospital...But right now...I think they use this room to examine the patients or something. But someone just did that to you, so they're going to get you a doctor...You doing okay?" He asked, rubbing Dib's back gently.

Dib held his stomach. "I'm feeling slightly sick again, but I'm hoping it will just pass in a few minutes. And my chest and head hurt a lot right now." He said before pulling his knees to his chest and hiding his face in them. "I want to go home..." He shuddered.

Stroking the top of his head to try and calm him, Zim sighed. "Dib...If you go home now, how will you ever get better?...I know you really don't want to be here, but...I think this is the only way you can get well again." He said, trying to keep the boy from freaking out too much so he wouldn't change his mind about staying here.

Reaching a hand up, Dib searched blindly for Zim's hand. Lifting his head, he then nuzzled a cheek to it once he'd found it, entwining their fingers and giving them a good squeeze.

A doctor following behind her, the nurse re-entered the room with a clipboard. "Here they are, doctor. The one on the bed needs immediate medical attention." She said before taking a seat in a chair in the room.

"Alright. Thank you, nurse." The doctor turned to Zim and Dib. "Well, I'm at least glad to see you're sitting up." He then said, pulling up a chair close to Dib so he could reach a hand underneath his pajama top with his stethoscope to listen to his heart. "While I'm running a few tests on you, can you answer a few questions for my nurse to take note of. We usually have our patients fill out a form when they first come in, but considering the urgency of your case, I'll have her fill it out for you. So for starters, can we get your first and last name?" He asked, moving the instrument in his hand around under Dib's shirt.

Shuddering at the feeling of cold metal pressing against his skin, Dib sank back slightly and looked over at Zim, not wanting to answer the doctor's question or any other questions that may come.

Watching the doctor curiously, Zim then looked back over at Dib. "...His name's Dib Membrane." He answered the question for him.

"Mmhmm...Alright, now if you can tell me your date of birth please, Dib, and if your parents are aware that you're here?"

Continuing to stare at Dib who stared back at him looking rather stressed, Zim then looked back over at the doctor. "Uuhm...Can you ask him all this stuff later maybe?" He asked, not wanting Dib to feel anymore stressed than he already was.

"Yes, very well then...Okay, if you can breath normally for me, Dib." The doctor moved the stethoscope slightly on his chest and listened to his breathing for a moment. "Hmm...Definitely something going on in there...Now, you say he's been coughing up blood. That may be due to inflammation of the lung, so we will have to take a quick X-ray to confirm this and then start treatment." He turned to Zim. "Can you tell me if he's had any other treatment or medicines at all recently?" he said, wanting to make sure his system was clear first.

Zim felt rather uncomfortable at that question. "Well...He tried taking antibiotics earlier...But...He kinda threw it all up again." He said before shuddering at the memory.

The doctor looked back over at Dib. " Right. So we'll have to avoid you taking anything orally then. Not to worry." He said, finally pulling his hand away from Dib's chest.

Just continuing to sit back silently, Dib looked back and forth between Zim and the doctor, his body tense and shaking slightly.

"Alright. We'll get a radiologist to take over from here for the X-ray, then Dib can be given a room to stay in until I come by to check in on him again." The doctor smiled before turning to the nurse. "Nurse, can you bring these two young gentlemen up to see our radiologist, please." He said, writing something down on a piece of paper before handing it to her.

The nurse nodded her head. "Right. Come on, you two. This won't take very long at all." She gestured for them to follow her.

Turning his head to look back at Zim who was smiling warmly at him, Dib then saw him fading away into darkness as he slumped forward against him, losing consciousness right there on the examination table.

Jumping a bit and gasping, Zim quickly wrapped his arms around Dib before looking up at the doctor worriedly. "H-He keeps doing this." His voice shook as he feared the reason for why.

Turning back to Dib, the doctor laid him down onto the table again to check and make sure he was alright. "Hmm...Yes, he will probably keep doing this. But he seems to be alright otherwise, so to speak." He turned back to the nurse. "Nurse, if you could bring in a gurney to transport the patient to radiology as it's quite vital we get the X-ray so we can start treatment ASAP. Thank you." He said before walking out of the room, the nurse following behind him.

After a short moment, the nurse brought in a gurney and wheeled it over to Dib. "Okay. If you could just help me move him onto here…" She went to take him by the shoulders.

Carefully helping the nurse move Dib onto the gurney, Zim still looked rather worried as he followed alongside her as she walked him down the hall, looking down at Dib the entire time.

Approaching an elevator with Zim and Dib, the nurse pressed a button on it to take them up a few levels before looking back at Zim and smiling. "Now don't you worry. You said he hasn't been eating or drinking anything the past few days, right? Chances are this is just a symptom of dehydration. As soon as we've finished with the X-ray, we'll get him on an IV in his room. That should make him feel slightly better." She said, rolling him into the elevator the second the doors opened and pressing a button to take them up to the floor they needed to be on.

Following the nurse down another hall and into a room, the room having lots of equipment and machines and an older woman in a white coat, Zim looked around the room curiously before looking over at Dib as the nurse went over to talk to the radiologist.

Walking over to Dib, the radiologist looked down at him. "Alright. If we just get his top off and move him onto the table over there, this will all be over shortly." she smiled over at Zim while the nurse removed Dib's pajama top and wheeled him over to the X-ray table.

Moving him onto the X-ray table with Zim's help, the nurse then turned to retrieve an X-ray gown to place over him before returning with it, about to cover him with it but stopping when she noticed the bandages on his arms. "Now, what happened here?" She asked, reaching down to run a few fingers along the bandages carefully before looking up at Zim. "Did something happen to him before he came in here?" She asked, figuring he would know.

Until next time~


	40. Chapter 40

Dib Is Sick Chapter 40: X-Ray

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

His heart beginning to beat a bit faster at the nurse's question, Zim looked up at the nurse wide-eyed as he remembered that he had been the one to scratch Dib up. He desperately tried to think of something to say in response to her.

Looking back down at Dib again, the nurse then looked at his chest for a moment before turning him slightly to look at his back and noticing a few scratch marks there as well. Carefully laying him back down again, she then looked at Zim, her eyebrows raised.

"Uhh...I didn't see the bandages...S-So I don't know."

"Alright. We'll sort that out later then." She said before putting the gown on Dib as the radiologist made her way over to the table.

The radiologist looked over at Zim. "I'll need you to stand back a bit while I take the X-rays. It's already going to be difficult enough taking these while he's unconscious. I prefer my patients to be awake so they can take a deep breath and hold it while I'm taking the X-rays and so I can get a few at different angles, but for now, I'll just take one and maybe take another one later when he's awake enough to actually sit up. Hopefully the one I take now though will help enough in diagnosing the problem that they won't have to perform more tests than necessary on him to find out what's wrong and how to fix it." She said, gesturing for Zim to stand off to the side.

Looking down at Dib nervously, Zim hesitated for a moment before taking a step back and watching the radiologist as she took the X-ray of Dib. Helping the nurse move him back onto the gurney after the X-ray had been taken and the gown taken off of him, he then moved a hand over to Dib's pj top before the nurse stopped him.

She smiled. "Oh, no need for that. He'll be put into another gown shortly after we've moved him to his room." she said, going to take the pajama top from Zim.

"I'll analyze the images while you get him comfortable."

Nodding at the radiologist, the nurse then took Dib and Zim out of the room to get him settled.

Leading the two boys to an empty room, the nurse turned on the lights as soon as they had reached the entrance. "Well, here's where he'll be staying for the next couple of days. During that time, you'll be allowed to visit him during visiting hours, but I'm afraid you can't stay overnight unless you have permission from one of his parents to do so. There's always a risk you might catch the same thing he has or give him something that will make his condition worse. But if you insist on staying, we could always contact his parents and have them come down here. So long as they sign something giving you written permission to stay, you can sleep in the bed next to his." She said, gesturing to said bed.

"W-What?!" Zim looked over at the nurse horrified. "Wait! No!...I-I can't leave him!" He looked away for a short moment before looking back at her pleadingly. "Look. I know this is going to sound dumb, but I can't leave him alone for one minute while he's here...He's terrified of hospitals, and if he wakes up to find I'm not here with him, he's going to completely freak out! At least let me stay for one night and you can sort out whatever with his parent tomorrow when he's awake...Please." He begged her now, about ready to get down on his knees if he had to.

"Hmmm...I'd have to talk with the head of the hospital about this, and I can't make any promises, but I don't understand why we can't just call his parents now and have them come down. One would think his parents should already be down here considering his current condition. Do they even know he's here at the hospital? Because if they don't, it's my job to call and inform them. And if they don't know, what was he doing with you at the time you decided he had to be brought in here?"

Feeling extremely uncomfortable now from being asked all these questions, Zim looked over at Dib. "Uh...I found him like this...He was alone in his house so I've stayed with him for a while...I tried getting him to go to the hospital, but he wouldn't because...Well, you know. A-And it's just the one parent...But I don't know where he is or how to contact him. You'll have to ask Dib that when he wakes up." He looked back up at her. "But I'm telling you. Me leaving will just make things worse. I know he'll just panic and you can't let him do that when he's like this...Just let me stay." He pleaded with her again to make an exception for him.

The nurse sighed a bit. "I'll go talk to the head of the hospital now and be back in a few minutes. Then I'll grab a hospital gown for him to wear on my way back so we can dress him in that. Once he's settled in, I'll take a look through the hospital's data base for any files matching his description and last name. If he was born here, we may have a file on him somewhere that we can use to find a contact number for his father or any other living relatives." She said before turning to leave the room.

Watching her leave before turning back to Dib again, Zim sighed and looked down at him, taking his hand and running his fingers over it gently. "Do they really have to make things more difficult than they already are?..." He spoke in a whisper to himself before sighing again.

Responding to the small touch, Dib's eyelids fluttered open half way to stare up at Zim after a few moments. "Wh-What happened? And where am I now?" he asked after having a quick look around the room they were in.

Eyes widening for a moment as Dib began to wake up, Zim smiled down at him, stroking his hand gently still. "This...This is where you're going to be staying. You just had an X-ray taken, and they're going to start treatment soon, I think..." He said, giving the hand he was holding a small squeeze as he said that.

"O-Oh...S-So they went through with it even though I was unconscious...And you're allowed to stay with me while they're doing treatment, right?"

Zim's eyes shifted to the side at that question. "Uhhm...They had to...Because they needed to confirm whether you had pneumonia first or not before starting treatment, and...I don't know...Th-They need permission from your dad for me to stay...But I refused to leave, so the nurse is going to talk to the person in charge or something to see if I can stay the night..." He explained, looking back at Dib. "But don't worry...Zim is not going to leave you, okay?" He tried to reassure the other of that before he had a chance to freak out about it.

"Wh-What?! You mean they need my dad's permission to let you stay?! B-But he doesn't even know that I'm here or even sick!" Dib exclaimed as he started hyperventilating, causing him to begin coughing again and turn over onto his side to wrap one arm around his abdomen. After a moment of coughing into his free hand, he then pushed himself up onto his feet and grabbed Zim's wrist. "Come on. We're going. I'm not staying if they won't let you stay with me." He said, already heading for the exit.

Shaking his head and pulling Dib to him a bit, Zim took him by the arms and looked at him sternly. "Dib, how are you going to get better if we leave now? You just keep getting worse and worse, and you need to be here. I already told you that I won't leave, and I won't. I explained to that nurse human that I have to be here with you...But even if they don't allow it, I still won't leave you here, okay?" He said, sending Dib an all too serious look now.

"But how will you convince them to allow you to stay if they say no?!"

"I don't know...But couldn't you just let them call your dad? I mean, it's not like he can take you from here if he knows you really need to be here...Right?"

Dib stared down at the ground. "And what should I say if he asks me why I want you to stay instead?" He asked before bringing his gaze back up to meet Zim's.

Looking to the side for a moment in thought, Zim then looked back at him and smiled. "I don't know, but just say you know he's very busy or something. That I have lots of time to stay here with you so he won't have to." He shrugged.

Not exactly 100% sure that excuse would work, Dib let out a small whine but gave in anyways. "Alright...I'll do it that way then. But if something goes wrong and you're not allowed to stay with me, I refuse to stay here and let them do tests on me!" He said before letting out a small sob. "I can't be left alone in this place..." He then clung to Zim's front side tightly.

Not wanting Dib to leave here and hoping he would be allowed to stay with him, Zim looked just a little uncertain himself as he nodded before looking down at the floor. "Okay..." he wrapped his arms around him into a hug. "But...You really don't need to worry, Dib. These people are going to make you well again, and I will be with you no matter what." He said with an affirmative nod.

"That's what they said about my mom! But she died a painful death here..." Dib's entire body began to shake as he let out a hurt whimper and hid his face in Zim's chest, clinging to him desperately.

Walking back into the room carrying a hospital gown for Dib to wear, the nurse stopped upon seeing Dib up and clinging to Zim. "What's going on in here? Is everything alright? He really shouldn't be out of bed right now." She said before hurrying over to check and make sure everything was alright.

A bit surprised, Zim turned to face the nurse. "Uh...He just woke up and got scared. That's all." He said before petting Dib's head gently.

The nurse quickly walked over to Dib. "Come on now. It's alright. Let's get you back into the bed so I can get this on you, okay?" She helped Dib back onto the bed, sitting him up and putting the gown on him before removing his pajama bottoms.

Sensing Dib feeling rather uncomfortable from that, Zim looked back over at the nurse. "So...Can I stay with him?" he asked once Dib was dressed in the hospital clothes.

"The head of the hospital says that if it's absolutely necessary, you can stay for just tonight. But we still want to try to get written permission from his father tonight to avoid a lawsuit. If we can't get it by tonight, then we'll have to have permission by tomorrow at the very latest. Otherwise, you won't be allowed to stay overnight with him again tomorrow night."

Sitting up with a deep red blush on his face as he wished the nurse would have let him change without her being in the room, Dib sniffled wetly, now more worried they wouldn't get permission for Zim to stay tomorrow night as well.

"O-Okay." Zim nodded, trying to look as calm as possible.

The nurse then turned to Dib. "Right." She took up her clipboard again. "If you could just leave me your fathers contact details so I can call him and explain your current situation." She said, wanting to try and get in contact with him before it grew too late out.

Until next time~


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: Well, well, well...Will you look at that. FINALLY an update! Sorry for the wait on the next set of chapters for this story, you guys. It's been a rather busy month as of late, for both Sass AND myself. So I guess you can consider the next few chapters of updatage a belated Thanksgiving upload. That aside, we hope you guys enjoy the next few chapters to be posted~ Also, as always, feel free to check out the link in my FF profile to the super awesome new preview image done for Chapters 41-45. =3 Once again, Sass has done a wonderful job creating fanart for this story. =3 And, of course, details about the current DA fanart contest for this story can be found in the description of the picture and chapter linked for this set. That said, I'll allow you guys to get back to reading. Much love and appreciation to those who have faved/reviewed this story. Until next time~

Dib Is Sick Chapter 41: IV

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Nodding dazedly when the nurse asked him for his father's contact information, Dib gave her the number for his father's lab as well as his home number in case he wasn't there. "I-I can't guarantee you'll be able to get a hold of him. He's really busy and doesn't always answer the phone." He said before she left to attempt contacting him.

"Well, don't worry too much about it. We'll do whatever we can to get a hold of him." The nurse smiled before leaving the room to go and call Dib's father.

Frowning a bit, Zim watched her leave the room before turning back to Dib again. "Why do they have to call your dad anyway? Shouldn't they be more concerned about starting your treatment?" He looked down at the bed and slid a hand over one of Dib's hands, entwining his fingers with Dib's and sighing.

His blush slowly dying down, Dib leaned up against Zim a bit. "Well, it's not every day they get a patient my age coming into the emergency room without a parent accompanying them." He sighed. "But I wish they didn't have to tell him. How am I supposed to explain all of this to my dad?! He didn't even know I was sick to begin with!" He exclaimed, really not knowing what to expect from his father once they managed to get a hold of him.

Rubbing a hand on his arm gently, Zim put an arm around him. "Oh, don't worry about it too much. I doubt he could get mad at you when you're like this." He said, giving Dib a small squeeze for reassurance.

"He'll probably be mad I missed so much school without telling him..."

"Myeah well, he can't expect you to have gone in like this. He'll get over it." Zim shrugged. " ...Do you think he will let me stay here with you?" he asked, feeling rather anxious about that still.

"I hope so...Because I won't stay if he doesn't!"

Remaining silent for a moment, Zim nuzzled a kiss onto his forehead.

Walking back in, the nurse startled the both of them. "Alright. Well, we haven't actually managed to get in contact with your father, Dib, but we will have to try again tomorrow morning. Your friend can stay for the night, but if we can not contact him tomorrow to get signed permission, then it will just have to be for tonight, I'm afraid." She informed the two boys.

His blush flaring back up even more, Dib's face fell at the news as he feared they wouldn't be able to get a hold of his father to get permission for Zim to stay tomorrow night, if he even allowed it at all. He squeezed Zim's hand even more in his own shaking hand.

Looking back over at Dib worriedly, Zim rubbed a thumb on Dib's hand to try and calm him.

"Well, we better get an IV on you anyway." The nurse turned away for a moment to sort out and prepare some equipment.

Dib tensed suddenly. "I-Isn't that like putting a n-needle into my arm and l-leaving it there?" He asked, gulping slightly at the thought.

"Well, it may feel uncomfortable for a while, but don't worry. You will get used to it, and it will make you feel much better." The nurse brought over the equipment, readying the needle. "I'll have it over and done with as quickly as I can." she then assured him.

Looking over at it wide-eyed, Zim then looked back at Dib.

Face paling at the size of the needle, Dib's eyes rolled back into his head before he passed out on them again.

Jumping a bit, Zim bit his bottom lip and looked at him worriedly.

"Oh. Oh dear." The nurse quickly checked to see if he was alright. "Oh, don't worry. He'll come around again in a minute. In the meantime, I'll get this on him." She put the needle into his arm, attached to an unusual-looking apparatus. As Zim watched with wide eyes, she then placed a strip over his arm once she was finished. "There. That should help settle him. If you can just make sure he doesn't touch it and keep an eye on him for the time being." she nodded in Zim's direction before getting up to leave.

Nodding, Zim continued to stare at Dib's arm before shuddering a bit.

"If you need anything, just press this button here on the wall, okay?" The nurse pointed to a button right above Dib's bed before leaving the room to go check up on a few of her other patients, allowing Zim and Dib to be alone for a while.

About 5 minutes later, Dib let out a pained groan, blinking his eyes open slowly, everything coming back into focus after a few moments.

Smiling when he saw him waking up, Zim leaned over him. "Hey, you're awake." He looked over at the needle in his arm before quickly looking back at him and putting a hand to Dib's face, making Dib turn to face him in the hope that he wouldn't catch sight of the IV. "So...Are you alright?" He asked after a moment or two had passed.

"I-I think so..." Dib's fingers twitched as he winced a bit. "My arm hurts. D-Did she put that needle in?" He asked, keeping his gaze fixed on Zim all the while.

"Uhh...Mm-hmm...But...Don't look at it, okay?"

Nodding his head slowly, Dib stared up at Zim and just Zim before reaching up his free hand to tug at Zim's wig, wanting to see the other's antennae.

Blushing a bit, Zim jumped and threw his hands over his head to hold the wig on. "Mmm...I don't know...What if someone were to walk in?" He looked down at him, and then over at the door, then back at Dib again before slowly taking the wig off and looking down at the bed nervously, antennas moving on his head a bit now that they had been freed from the wig.

"I just want to see them for a minute." Dib reached up both hands to take hold of the thin appendages between his fingers, wincing when his arm with the IV in it sent a jolt of pain through his entire body. "Ouch..." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly but didn't stop what he was doing, rubbing Zim's antennae with his thumbs, near the base of the Irken's head, the action calming him as he opened his eyes again to stare up at them before finally pulling away to let Zim put his wig back on despite wanting to pull them into his mouth.

Turning his head towards the exit for a moment, Zim flicked up his antennae to detect any slight sound from outside before relaxing them again and turning back to Dib, smiling down at him. "Umm...Maybe it's okay for just a little bit longer." He leaned over him carefully, allowing him to get at them easily.

Smiling back at Zim, Dib reached up to take one of them and pull the tip into his mouth, suckling on it happily, his entire body going lax in the bed as he closed his eyes and cuddled up closer to the edge where Zim was.

Giggling a little bit at the feeling of Dib's tongue flicking at his antennae, Zim sighed out happily, resting himself on top of Dib and cuddling up with him.

Blinking his eyes open at hearing Zim giggle, Dib pulled his mouth away to give Zim a small lick on the cheek.

Until next time~


	42. Chapter 42

Dib Is Sick Chapter 42: Caught

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Smiling over at Dib happily when the human licked him on the cheek, Zim blushed a little bit before giving Dib a quick kiss on the cheek and pulling away to smile at him again.

Cheeks becoming a bright pink at the kiss he received from Zim, Dib pulled back a bit, hiding part of his face in the covers shyly.

Running a hand over his hair apologetically, Zim sat up a bit to put his wig back on, still smiling at him as he leaned himself on him carefully again and sighed. " I wish I didn't have to wear this stinking disguise...Oh well." He shrugged.

"Me too...But maybe later tonight, after we go to bed, you can take it off while you sleep. I doubt anybody will come in while we're sleeping."

"Umm...M-Maybe. I guess it will be okay if I'm underneath the covers completely...But I'll probably want to stay awake to make sure you're okay through the night anyways."

"You could...hide underneath the bed covers with me...that way you could watch over me at the same time." Dib smiled hopefully at him, a small blush painting his cheeks pink.

Zim smiled back at him. "Heh...Yeah, I think I prefer your idea. I'll just have to try not to fall asleep." He looked around the room for a moment. "...Hmm...I don't think I've ever been in a hospital before. I've only seen it on TV..." He continued to look around the room before looking back at the IV curiously.

"S-So they don't have anything like hospitals on your planet?"

"Well, Irkens just aren't as fragile as humans. I've had some real HORRIBLE injuries before, but they are never that difficult to recover from. Plus we all have basic medical data downloaded into our PAKs, so usually we know how to sort ourselves out. But...We do have medical sectors and medic drones specifically trained to treat the more serious injuries.

"O-Oh...S-So I guess all this fuss over something as stupid as pneumonia seems dumb, right?" Dib smiled and let out a small amused laugh before falling silent a few moments. "I-I never gave you any of those horrible injuries before, right?" He asked, wanting to make sure.

"Pfff!" Zim shook his head and smiled at him amused. "Naaah, no way. Heh, I wouldn't even consider anything you had done to Zim as an actual injury, Dib...Okay, well...Apart from that time with the meat...And that water balloon...Um...B-But really NOTHING compared to what Zim has been through before." He nodded then looked at him a bit more seriously. "But...This pneumonia thing really doesn't seem dumb to me at all, Dib...If it's done all this to you." He said, looking concerned now as he ran his fingers over one of Dib's hands again.

"Well, it does to me...I mean, I spent the past several years trying to convince people that aliens and other paranormal phenomena were real and that I would someday be their savior. But what kind of savior am I if I can't even recover from a simple case of pneumonia through bed rest and antibiotics? I never thought something like this would put me in the hospital. Maybe I'm just not as strong as I thought I was."

Going silent for a moment, Zim looked down before then looking back up at him. "...Okay, okay. So you got sick, Dib. People get sick. Because you are human, you, unfortunately, are no exception to that. But just because something like this is beyond your control doesn't make you a weaker person...I mean...Think of the countless amount of times you've tried to convince the world of that...paranormal stuff and all those times it's been thrown back in your face. But you never gave up trying...And the fact that you actually want to be a savior to these...people...despite all that must make you strong." He said, having always admired Dib's determination.

Hugging part of the covers to himself, Dib sighed and turned over in the bed. "I don't feel very strong right now..." He said, curling in on himself slightly.

"Yeah...But that's why you're here. To get strong again." Zim smiled and pat him on the head. "So stop sniveling, Dib-thing. You can do your paranormal stuff again once you get better." He said, smoothing down a bit of Dib's hair.

Reaching up to take the hand on his head and hug it to himself, Dib turned back over to look at Zim, closing his eyes and resting a cheek against the other's arm. "I caught yyyyyooooouuuuu..." He whispered quietly to the Irken.

Bringing up his other hand to fiddle with a lock of Dib's hair, Zim looked down at him a little puzzled for a moment. "Heh...Ooookay. You caught me?" He cocked an eyebrow at Dib's words.

Opening his eyes, Dib looked up at Zim for a moment. "Well, you're not trying to take over the world anymore, are you? So yeah...I think I did a pretty good job of catching you." He said, clinging to the arm even more, refusing to let go of it anytime soon.

Shaking his head a bit, Zim frowned down at him before smirking. "Pit-i-ful hyumun...It is not you who has caught Zim." He lightly poked the top of his head. "It is Zim who has caught YOU!" He put on an evil smile and ruffled the top of Dib's head.

Letting go of Zim's arm, Dib flailed at him helplessly. "Nuuuuu! I caught you first!" He grabbed his arm again and hugged it tightly to himself, pouting up at the Irken now.

"Liieees!" Zim laughed evilly and moved himself on top of Dib, pinning him onto the bed by his shoulders and smirking down at him.

Trying to wriggle his way out from the other's grip, Dib struggled a bit against Zim. "Nooooo! Not lies! I caught you first three days ago!" He stuck his tongue out at Zim when he couldn't pull free.

"Nonsense! Clearly it is I who had caught YOU, foolish hyuman! Mwahaha!" Zim moved his hands down to his sides to tickle him.

Jolting a bit, Dib brought both his hands down to try and push Zim's away from his sides, wriggling about and letting out a small whimper. Managing to grab hold of one of his hands to hug tightly to himself again, he then rolled over onto his side a bit and brought one of Zim's fingers to his mouth to suck on.

"Heheh. Was I too rough?" Zim smiled over at Dib and cuddled up to him from behind, giving him a small apologetic lick to his cheek.

Until next time~


	43. Chapter 43

Dib Is Sick Chapter 43: Fears

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Blushing at the small lick to his cheek, Dib gave Zim's finger one last good suckle before pulling it from his mouth and turning over onto his back so he could look at Zim better, still cradling the other's arm to his chest. Turning over even more onto his other side so he could nuzzle himself into Zim's chest, he then hid his face there so the Irken wouldn't see his blush.

Wrapping his other arm around him to hug Dib closely to him, Zim lightly nuzzled against the top of his head, still smiling at him. "Hmmm...You are so...What's that word?...Oh, yes. Cute." He said before giving Dib another small nuzzle.

Lifting his head to look up at Zim, Dib's face flared up a bright red at the other's words. "Y-You think I'm c-cute?" He said, tilting his head to one side slightly.

Zim looked down at Dib a bit blankly. "Uhm...Yes?" He said, wondering now whether he had used the correct word to describe Dib.

His cheeks becoming a deep pink color, Dib blinked up at the Irken. "S-Since when did you start thinking that about me?" he asked, having never expected Zim to say that about him.

"Nyeh? Um, I don't know. But what's wrong with that?...You don't think you are 'cute'?" Zim continued to stare at him blankly.

"N-Nothing! I just...Nobody has ever called me...Umm..." Dib blushed insanely. "I-I don't know what I think of myself...'Cute' isn't exactly one of the first words that comes to my mind when describing myself though." He said, looking away to one side awkwardly.

"Oh...Well, you just are." Zim smiled and nodded then looked at him more curiously. "So, how WOULD you describe yourself then?" He asked, not understanding why Dib found it so strange that he considered him 'cute'.

At Zim's question, Dib's blush flared back up. "W-Well...I don't know...clumsy?" He said, having never really given it any thought himself.

"Uh, okaayyy." Zim laughed. "How about really smart? And...Umm...Brave?" He suggested.

Dib looked back up at Zim. "Y-You think I'm smart? And brave? Even though I'm afraid of hospitals?" He asked, rather surprised by the Irken's compliments to him.

Zim nodded. "Yes, you would HAVE to be brave to go up against the incredible Zim!...And live with YOUR sister." He smiled jokingly then looked down at him calmly, stroking at his hair softly. "I guess everyone is afraid of something, Dib." He then said softly in a quiet whisper.

Nuzzling his face into the Irken's chest, Dib continued to stare up at Zim a few moments. "Even you?" He asked, curious as to what Zim was afraid of.

"Whah...Zim? N-Nooo. I fear nothing." Zim shifted his eyes to the side.

Sinking down farther under the covers of the bed, Dib sighed. "So then maybe my fear of hospitals really is stupid..." He said, closing his eyes.

Feeling a little bad now, Zim looked back at Dib. "What? N-No, no. It's not, Dib. I mean, mmm...Well, there is one thing...But...You'll think it's kinda dumb..." He said, shifting in his spot somewhat uncomfortably.

A little upset now, Dib looked back up at Zim. "You don't know that!" He then let his eyes fall again as his voice came out in a whisper now. "You can't if you won't even tell me..." He then said, looking down at the bed sheets beneath him as he began fiddling with them idly.

At Dib's reaction, Zim's eyes grew wide in a bit of surprise. "Okay, okay! Sheesh..." He looked to the side again, frowning and mumbling out quietly. "...Thunderstorms..." He winced a little bit in fear of how the other would react.

Lifting his eyes, Dib looked up at Zim. "I don't think that's dumb...Thunderstorms are an indication that it might rain soon, and you can't help it that water burns your skin. I wouldn't like them either if I were you. Especially considering you probably never experienced one until you came here to earth." He said, not finding that at all weird for the other to be afraid of.

Looking down at the bed, Zim sighed before looking back at him for a moment. "Yeah, I guess." He took one of Dib's hands and pressed it to his cheek, nuzzling against it gently.

Moving his fingers against Zim's cheek gently, Dib watched Zim through half-lidded eyes. "And if you're going to stay with me while I'm stuck in the hospital, then I'll stay with you whenever we have a thunderstorm." He promised.

Zim looked back up at him. "You will?" He smiled and gave him a peck on the lips, pulling away and blushing a little before looking to the side. "I mean...Um...Thank you." He thanked the other before shifting slightly again, only this time closer to him.

Sinking down in the covers to hide his face in Zim's chest again, Dib blushed at the kiss to his lips before murmuring out a small response. "Y-You're welcome..." He said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Running a hand down his arm gently, Zim smiled again before stopping once he felt the bandages and lightly running a finger over them. "They asked about this earlier...I wasn't sure what to say." He said, frowning at the memory of what had happened between them the day before.

Dib looked up at Zim quickly with wide eyes. "Th-They did?" He ran his free hand up to the bandaged area and winced. " D-Did they think you did it to me?" He then asked, kicking himself as he knew it had been his fault to begin with.

Until next time~


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: Why do I continue to update this story? Can somebody please explain the reasoning behind it to me? Because I honestly don't know anymore. I suppose it's because Sass and I worked our asses off to write and finish it, but still. The fandom is unbelievably disgusting. And it includes so many disgusting people, no offense to those IN the fandom. I left the fandom a few months back, yet somehow, all its drama continues to follow after me like some kind of horrible and incurable virus.

Why can't the people in the fandom just leave me and my friends alone? We left. What more do they want from us?

I love IZ, but it's so hard to enjoy nowadays because of how today's generation of fans treat each other. My closest friends have all been driven away, and I've been left to mourne their hatred of the show now. Obviously, I can't make anybody enjoy IZ who doesn't want to anymore, but this just leaves me feeling empty. I only have one friend to share that love of IZ with now because the others want nothing to do with it after how they were treated by people in the fandom.

Some people probably wonder why the fandom hasn't driven me to hate the show also. Well, I've been a fan since the very first day it aired on TV. I could never hate the show. I could never even hate the pairings I love so much. But it's hard to watch close friends move on from what they once used to enjoy. I don't blame them, of course. They have every right to move on and say what they want about it. After all, they were treated like shit by today's generation of fans. But it still hurts. Loving something so much and knowing that your closest friends now hate it and may never enjoy it again. It's like losing a part of that link that first connected us. We still have things in common, of course, but no longer will I ever be able to spend nights up bantering with them about the show in a positive way without the hate of the fandom rearing its ugly head and ruining all those positive feelings the show is supposed to bring.

Sorry for the kind of rantish A/N, you guys. I'm really finding it hard to want to continue any of my stories any longer though.

I was just getting in the mood to update a whole lot this weekend then BAM! The fandom reared its ugly head and raised a shit storm all over my friend's front DA page again. I'm sick of my friends being driven away and forced to hate the show. Yes, I use the word "forced" because that's literally what's been happening. People in the fandom just can't leave well enough alone. They spread rumors about other fans and attack them without reason. It's overwhelming.

I'm trying to hold myself together for you guys because, as I've said, I love IZ. I love this story Sass and I have written. I even love the artwork I've produced in the past 6, going on 7, years I've been drawing for the show. But it's just hard to continue when something you put so much time and care into only brings about more negative feelings and reactions from people.

Makes me wonder what the point in any of this is anymore? Part of my love for the show involved being able to share that love with people who had similar interests. That's now been painfully ripped from my life though.

Perhaps it seems pointless and stupid to get so emotional over a cartoon. But it was that love of the cartoon that brought me to meet some of my closest friends in life.

Sorry if the above rant seemed pointless to any of you. I really just needed somewhere to get this all out though. The A/N of this story seemed the most safe location, given I don't want any of my friends to feel as though I'm blaming them for anything. I feel selfish for even writing such a rant, but it's not something I can just hold in for all eternity. So you guys get to put up with it until I can find a better location to post it. Deal with it.

That said and out of the way, here's the next chapter. Hopefully I don't lose all motivation to continue posting this story. But I guess that depends on how the future unfolds from here.

Dib Is Sick Chapter 44: Comfort

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Shaking his head at Dib's question, Zim smiled back at him reassuringly. "No, I don't think so anyway. I had to tell them I didn't know about it..." He said, then looking down at the bandages and feeling a bit guilty.

Dib frowned at the look on Zim's face. "It really wasn't your fault. It was mine. So if they ask me what happened, I'll just tell them it was a result of my own stupidity...A-And that I don't want to talk about it..." He said, looking away awkwardly.

Snapping out of it, Zim looked back at Dib for a moment. "Huh?...Oh, right. Y-Yeah...But y'know. They may have forgotten about it." He said, not feeling entirely sure about that but running a hand down Dib's arm regardless. Bringing his hand over to rest on Dib's warm cheek, he then sent him a small reassuring smile.

Dib nodded his head slowly in response to that. "I hope so..." He said before closing his eyes and pressing closer to Zim, hiding his face once again in the other's uniform, reluctant to look up. The memory of what had happened beginning to make him feel queasy, he then held his stomach.

Looking down at him a little concerned as he noticed Dib looking rather uncomfortable again, Zim lightly rubbed his hand on Dib's back. "You okay?" he asked, hoping Dib wouldn't black out on him again like he'd done multiple times before already.

Dib murmured into Zim's shirt a bit. "Just...feeling a little bit sick again..." He said, not wanting the other to worry about him.

"Oh, do you want Zim to get the nurse?"

His answer coming out in a small whine, Dib shook his head. "Nooo..." He said, just wanting to be left alone.

"...Okayyy..." Zim looked at Dib even more concerned for a moment then smiled a bit and wrapped his arms around him to hug him in closely. "We'll just wait this out then." He said, willing to stay by Dib's side until he felt better.

Nodding his head slowly against Zim, Dib closed his half-lidded eyes all the way and shuddered.

Running his hand soothingly on Dib's back, Zim lightly brushed his face against Dib's hair then brought up a hand to run along his scythe-shaped lock, looking at it curiously for a moment.

"Mmmm..." Dib pulled his legs up to curl in on himself a bit, his stomach now thoroughly upset. "Ooouuuch..." He curled in on himself even more.

Looking down at him worriedly again and running a hand through his hair, Zim looked back over at Dib before starting to sit himself up. "Umm...Maybe I should call the nurse, Dib." He said, starting to worry something bad was about to happen.

"No!" Dib said it more firmly, beginning to get upset now. "I don't want anybody in here moving me around!" he curled in on himself even more as a sharp pain from his abdomen ripped through his body, causing him to wince and gasp sharply.

Looking down at the bed and nodding in defeat, Zim felt a jolt of guilt for getting him upset again and hurting him. "Okay..." He laid himself down beside the other and ran a hand gently down his arm while looking at him calmly. "Calm down. No-one is coming...Zim is...sorry for getting you upset." he apologized, just wanting Dib to relax and settle back down.

His body shaking slightly as he pulled at the covers, Dib let out a small whimper, just wanting to hide underneath them now where nobody could get to him. "I-It's like somebody p-plunged a knife through my s-stomach..." He strained, voice shaking.

Zim's eyes widened slightly. "R-Really?" He looked worriedly at the other for a moment before bringing the covers up over them both and scooting nearer to cuddle up to Dib carefully but stopping for a moment before he did so. "Does it hurt if Zim touches you? Like before?" He asked, not wanting to cause Dib anymore discomfort.

Peeking his eyes open to look at Zim, Dib shuddered, his eyes glazed over. "O-Only when you touch m-my sides...M-My arms and l-legs are sore t-too, but they've been like th-that for d-days now..." He said, body shaking slightly now.

Zim looked a little shocked. "Wha-? Days?...Why didn't you say anything about it before?" he withdrew his arms. " I-I've been hurting you this entire time without even realizing it?" He said, now feeling horrible with himself for not noticing.

Dib pulled back away from Zim a bit. "B-Because I didn't want you to leave me, okay?! Y-You're the only one who's cared enough to stay with me this long, and I just didn't want to lose that comfort, even if it did hurt a little." He said, on the verge of tears now as he was almost certain Zim wouldn't touch him again.

Unsure what to say, Zim stared back at him shocked for a moment, suddenly feeling awful as he frowned over at him. "But I would have stayed with you if you had told me about it before. Why would you think you would lose me over such a thing?" He looked at the bed.

"B-Because I didn't want you to stay unless YOU wanted to stay! If you weren't touching me this entire time, I would have just thought you were only staying to be nice and not because you care about what happens to me." Dib began breaking down just a little bit. " And I don't want to lose that touch, even if it wasn't the most comfortable because it made me feel as though I was worth something." He said, having not wanted to lose the only comfort he had received throughout this entire ordeal.

Feeling as though his heart was being squeezed in his chest, Zim looked back at him, slowly shaking his head and frowning as he gently put a hand on Dib's cheek. "Of course I care about you. I care more about you than anything else. Zim already told you all this, Dib." he gave him a small peck on the lips before pulling away and carefully wiping away Dib's tears. "Besides, I...like being with you." He smiled a bit at the boy to reassure him of that.

Sniffling wetly, unable to speak but still feeling as though he'd lost a great deal of that comfort he was getting from Zim earlier, Dib nuzzled Zim's hand with a cheek, trying to gain back at least a little more of the touch he lost.

Zim smiled at him. "You're gonna make me say it, but..." He very lightly nuzzled against his forehead, his next few words very quiet. "You know I love you, right?" He whispered against the other's skin before kissing his head gently as a show of that love.

Until next time~


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: Well, will you look at that. Another update, and right before the beginning of the new year too. Sorry for the bit of a wait on getting this chapter posted, you guys. As I'm certain some of you already know from my last A/N, I seriously needed a break from the fandom for a while. So you can consider the past few weeks a hiatus of sorts. I'm back now though, ready to upload the final chapter in the set before continuing. Hopefully updates will come more regularly now that it's just about the beginning of a new year. So many thanks to those who commented on my last update for this story. I very much appreciate the support and encouragement, you guys. You have no idea. For those whom I haven't gotten back to yet, I apologize. A lot has been going on in my life as of late, making it difficult to respond to all my reviewers. However, do know that I do read all my comments and appreciate each and every one of them. So, once again, thanks a ton, you guys.

That said, I hope you guys enjoy this final installment of the year 2012's updates. Here's to hoping 2013's updates are just as well received as 2012's. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 45: Closeness

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Calming just a bit at the Irken's words and nodding his head slowly, Dib took as much comfort as he could from the small face nuzzle he received from Zim, sniffling all the while. Finally letting his eyes fall closed to sleep, he then reached out one hand to take Zim's and hold it in his own.

Watching Dib for a moment, Zim's smile fell away once Dib had closed his eyes, feeling awful now for not realizing how fragile he was in his current state. Using his other hand to carefully stroke his hair, he then continued to watch him sleep soundly.

In his sleep, Dib pet the back of Zim's hand with his fingers, drawing them slowly across the soft skin there, the action somewhat comforting to him as his eyes began to dry.

Watching as Dib moved his fingers over his hand, Zim wanted to get nearer to him but was afraid it would only hurt him. So instead, he merely sighed and closed his eyes.

About an hour later, Dib opened his eyes slowly and stared at Zim, who had dozed off, through half-lidded eyes. Sniffling as he felt as though he couldn't sleep any longer in this new environment without that comfort of the Irken's close presence, he was then tempted to scoot closer to the alien so he could cuddle up under the other's arms. Knowing Zim would yell at him if he did so though, he rather nuzzled his cheek to Zim's hand, trying to make himself feel better about the current situation.

Fingers twitching slightly at the feel of Dib's warm cheek against his hand, Zim let out a small whine in his sleep before reaching out his other hand almost as if he was subconsciously searching for the other. His outstretched hand touching Dib's chest, he then gripped at his gown there and tugged at it a little.

Jolting a bit at the sudden tug, Dib scooted in just a little closer but still not as close as he would have liked.

Scooting right up against Dib, Zim wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled against him before becoming still again and humming out a small comfortable sigh.

Tensing at the sudden closeness, Dib pressed his forehead to Zim's chest and closed his eyes just to let out another wet sniffle. He knew the Irken would probably yell at him upon waking up but didn't care anymore as he just wanted that closeness to remain with him, even if for only just a short amount of time.

Letting out a small whine after about another 10 minutes had passed, Zim moved about uncomfortably before lying still again and frowning in his sleep. "Mmm...Dib." He murmured out in the quiet room.

Reluctantly opening his eyes at hearing his name, feeling fairly certain that this closeness was about to end, Dib felt his eyes watering up as he attempted to keep the tears back.

Hugging Dib tighter to himself, Zim, still frowning, curled up a bit and quietly muttered something in his sleep, his breath quickening slightly for a moment before going back to normal again. "...N-No." he said when he felt Dib shift away from him slightly.

Lifting his head to look up at Zim with wide eyes, Dib gently nuzzled a cheek to Zim's face comfortingly, assuming that he must be having some kind of nightmare or something now.

"Dib..." Zim's expression calmed and he slowly eased his hold on Dib after a moment, shifting uncomfortably and muttering something again before gripping tight onto one of Dib's hands, frowning and letting out a slight growl.

Looking down at Zim worriedly, Dib sat up slightly. "Zim...?" He shook him slightly just to feel the other grip his hand even tighter, drawing out a small squeak from him. He shook him even more. "Zim, that hurts..." he said as he tried to pull his hand free but found himself unable to.

Pulling on Dib's hand even more as Dib tried to pull away, Zim let out another angry growl. "Mmm...Mmm! N-No!" He moved his hands up Dib's arm a bit and pulled him in more to tightly hold his arm to himself.

Beginning to squirm around in Zim's grip, Dib winced a bit at the tug. "S-Stop it! That hurts!" He tried to pull away again just to have Zim wrench his arm to his chest, reluctant to let go of him.

Holding Dib's arm tightly to his chest, Zim's grip only tightened more as Dib tried to pull away. His PAK making a small beep sound, it then started to open, making Dib pull desperately but only to have him growl threateningly at him and tighten his grip on him again.

Trying to escape, Dib panicked and yanked even harder on his arm, only succeeding in dislocating his shoulder, which had him letting out a sharp cry before curling in on himself and holding a hand to it as he began to break down, still pulling weakly in an attempt to get away. "I said to stop!" He exclaimed between sobs.

Eyes snapping wide open at hearing Dib shout, eventually realizing what he was doing, Zim let go of Dib's arm quickly and stared over at Dib wide-eyed in a mixture of fear and confusion, his PAK closing itself again.

Instantly pulling as far away from Zim as he could without falling off the bed, Dib curled in on himself even more, cradling his arm to his chest and holding his shoulder as his tears just continued to come and come, streaming down his cheeks in floods.

"What is with all the screaming in here? What's going on?" The nurse said from her spot in the doorway, flipping on the lights all the way so she could have a better look at Zim, who was just sitting on the other end of the bed, staring at Dib wide-eyed, and then the huddled up form of Dib on the opposite side of the bed.

Eyes darting from Dib to the nurse, Zim looked more and more horrified every time he glanced back at Dib. Remaining completely speechless as he had no clue what was going on, a lingering feeling that he was the cause of all this then began to grow within him.

Rushing over, the nurse checked Dib over. "What on earth happened in here?" She glanced over at Zim who stared back still confused and scared.

Dib let out another sharp cry when the nurse tried to move him to a different position so she could get a closer look at his arm.

"I'm getting a doctor and some pain killers to take care of that arm, and I want an explanation as soon as I get back of what happened in here." The nurse sent Zim a stern look that said 'I mean it' before hurrying out of the room to locate a doctor to have a look at Dib.

Without touching him, Zim scooted over to Dib. "Dib...W-What happened? I did this to you?" He shut his eyes tightly, bringing his hands up to his face, hoping he would just wake up from this horrible nightmare.

Panicking, Dib's eyes snapped wide open at the other's sudden closeness. "S-Stop! Stay away from me!" He scooted farther away just to fall off the end of the bed onto the floor. Flinching, he then stared up at Zim with wide, fearful eyes.

Until next time~


	46. Chapter 46

Dib Is Sick Chapter 46: Dislocation

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Jolting when Dib fell off the other end of the hospital bed, Zim stared down at him with fear as well. "Dib...I don't know what's going on here, but whatever happened, I'm sorry!" he moved nearer to Dib, only to make him shuffle away more.

Walking back in with the doctor, the nurse gasped at seeing Dib on the floor before running over to help him and looking up at Zim sternly. "I suggest you leave." She said, not trusting the other to stay alone with Dib any longer.

Still a bit shaken by the situation, Dib's eyes grew even wider at those words. "N-No!" He looked up at the nurse pleadingly. "Please! He fell asleep, had a bad dream, and accidentally knocked me off of the bed!" He said quickly, still not wanting Zim to leave him despite everything that had just happened.

Carefully helping the nurse put Dib back on the bed, the doctor examined him.

Still looking the least bit impressed, the nurse turned to Zim. "Is this true?" She asked, not so sure whether she believed Dib or not.

Getting quite upset now, Zim looked back at her. "I-I was asleep...It was an accident. I didn't mean to hurt him!" He watched as the nurse turned back to Dib for a moment. "I-Is he going to be alright?" He then asked, more concerned about how much harm he'd done to the other in his sleep.

"He should be. He's dislocated his shoulder, but we should be able to rotate it back into place just as soon as the painkillers we're about to give him kick in." The nurse said, sending Zim another pointed look. "But I'm beginning to have second thoughts about letting you spend the night here with him. What exactly were you doing sleeping in the same bed with him? We already have another bed set up next to his. If you were tired, you should have moved to that bed instead. And how can we trust you to spend the rest of the night with him? What if his injuries had been worse?" she said, having already felt uncomfortable enough as things were letting Zim spend the night there at the hospital without the proper permissions.

Looking back at her shocked for a moment, Zim scowled, not liking being yelled at for something he didn't even mean to do. Deciding that getting angry would only worsen the situation however, he merely looked down at the bed instead, hugging himself. "He was in pain and didn't want me to call for you, so I was comforting him and fell asleep doing so..." He said before looking up at her again. "You think I did this on purpose?" He then said, voice coming out rather strained as he knew he'd never purposefully try to hurt Dib again. At least, not now that they were mated.

"Do I think you did this on purpose? No...Perhaps not on purpose. But do I think it's possible that something like this or something worse may happen again? Yes. And if something were to happen to him while in our care, the hospital could be sued for it. And if he had been in pain earlier then you should have called me in regardless of whether he wanted me in the room or not."

"But he only started panicking again when I tried to! What was I supposed to do!?" Zim mentally kicked himself for letting his anger get the best of him before trying again more calmly. "...Okay, I should have called you...But please believe me when I say I had no intention of harming him. It was an accident and will not happen again." He said, sending her more of a pleading look now.

The nurse sighed out heavily. "It better not. Because if it happens again, I'll have no choice but to kick you out of the hospital. Now, as soon as we have him all fixed up again, I think it would be best that you both went to bed, and I mean in different beds." She said, shooting them both an all too serious look.

Shifting his eyes back down to the bed covers, Zim just nodded in reply before then watching as the nurse and doctor waited for the painkillers to take effect, testing Dib's arm every so often before deciding on starting.

"Alright, Dib. If you can just breathe normally for me, this will all be over shortly."

Trying to calm down enough to breathe normally, Dib nodded slowly. Feeling the doctor beginning to rotate his shoulder blade, he then let out a sharp cry, the pain greatly diminished but still there.

"Just hang in there a few more seconds, Dib. We should have your shoulder back in place after one last rotation."

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut as his shoulder was popped back into place, the action painful but relieving at the same time, Dib gasped before panting out in the quiet room, his body covered in sweat now.

"There we go. Now, I want to put your arm in a sling for now, Dib. We wouldn't want you dislocating that shoulder again. And I don't want you trying to move it around for a few days. That could just make things worse."

Watching, Zim looked scared as they popped it back into place.

After leaving for a few minutes, the nurse returned with a sling and carefully put it onto Dib. "Alright. I think it's about time you got some sleep." she looked up at Zim. "And this time call if anything happens. Can I trust you to do that?" she said, deciding to give him just one last chance.

Nodding his head in response, Zim watched them leave the room once again. Feeling utterly horrible now however, he didn't even glance over at Dib. "Zim is...very sorry..." He said, keeping his gaze fixed on the blankets beneath him.

His eyes filled with tears and face soaked now, Dib turned his head to look over at Zim, sniffling wetly and holding out his arms for Zim the best he could.

Slowly turning his head to face Dib, Zim's expression saddened as he stared over at him, wanting so badly to go and comfort him. Silently debating whether to move to him for a moment or not, he then turned away again to stare at the wall and gripped on his uniform sleeve uncomfortably. "You should...try to get some sleep..." He said, not so sure he trusted himself getting too close to the other again.

Dropping his arms, Dib's face dropped even more with them as he brought them up to hug himself before breaking down all over again, knowing that now he probably wouldn't receive any comfort from the other.

Feeling twice as horrible with himself, Zim looked back over at Dib before moving himself to sit in front of him without getting too close. "I don't want to hurt you...I'm sorry." He looked down at the covers.

Lifting his gaze back up, Dib looked at Zim again. "You worry so much about hurting me but don't even realize how much more it's hurting me that you won't come anywhere near me!" He hid his face away in his arms again to sob gently to himself.

Getting upset now, Zim looked over at him again. "Why would you even want me near you after all that!? All Zim does is hurt you!" He frowned off to the side before looking over at Dib once again sadly. "...I just did it again now...didn't I...?" He moved just a bit nearer to Dib, cautiously bringing up a hand to lightly brush his fingers over his unharmed arm. "Sorry..." He apologized, voice barely above that of a whisper.

"B-But it wasn't your fault! You were asleep, and if I hadn't scooted in so close to you, none of this probably would have happened! And besides! Y-You're the only one who cares enough about me to even give a shit whether I'm sick or hurt or even just upset about something...I told you that earlier...But then you still pulled away and refused to come anywhere near me!"

"But...Doesn't touching you just cause you more pain? That's why I didn't go near you...I even somehow managed to go as far as damaging your arm without meaning to...Who's to say I couldn't do worse." Zim looked down at the covers again. "I didn't go near you BECAUSE I care about you. Because...I don't want you getting hurt anymore." He said, fiddling with one of the blankets idly.

"I don't care! I don't care if it hurts me, even a little! I want to be near you! Cause everything just hurts ten times worse when I'm not near you! And you promised to stay with me no matter what for the entire time I'm here!"

Glancing back up at Dib once again, Zim moved right up in front of him. Leaning in nearer, he then held out his arms for the other, letting Dib have control over how much closeness he wanted.

Leaning forward into Zim's arms, Dib sobbed into the Irken's chest now as he carefully moved his injured arm out of the sling so he could wrap his arms around the Irken's back as though to keep him from pulling away again anytime soon. Running one hand up Zim's back, he then pulled it away quickly. "Ow!" He brought his hand back around front to look down at the palm of it and then up at Zim. "Y-Your PAK is really hot all of a sudden..." He pointed out to the other, the hot, metal surface having surprised him.

Taking Dib's hand to check he didn't burn himself, Zim then carefully put his arm back into the sling. "Y-Yes...Sorry. I should have told you before you hurt your hand." He said before looking down at his hand, stroking his fingers on it gently.

Fingers twitching slightly, Dib stared back down as his hand which Zim was stroking now. "Is it alright? Y-Your PAK, I mean. Does it do that often?" He asked, not understanding how the other could bear to have something that hot pressed against his back.

"Uh...It only heats up like that when I'm supposed to use it to attack or defend myself but don't...Sometimes it can get like that when I'm just stressed over something too, which I think confuses it into thinking I need to use it. But I guess the nightmare must have triggered it." He said, looking back up at Dib. "But do not worry yourself over it, Dib. Zim will be fine." He said with a small nod, not wanting to cause the other anymore trouble.

Until next time~


	47. Chapter 47

Dib Is Sick Chapter 47: Explanation

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Not so sure he believed the other, Dib looked up at Zim worriedly. "E-Exactly what was happening in your nightmare anyways? O-Or do you not want to talk about it...?" He asked, figuring the Irken's dream must have been pretty bad if it had caused his PAK to react the way it had.

Zim stared back at him uncomfortably. "Uhmm..." A blush started to appear on his face as he shifted his eyes to the side, debating on whether or not to tell him before he finally looked back at him. "Well...I guess I owe you an explanation for almost breaking your arm." He looked off to the side again. "Th-They were trying to separate us." He then said in a voice barely above that of a whisper.

Dib looked at Zim a bit confused. "What? Who was trying to separate us?" He crawled up closer to Zim so that he was now sitting in the other's lap, pressed comfortably against him.

Staring down at the bed covers, Zim tensed for a moment when Dib moved into his lap before then relaxing and letting his eyes fall half-lidded. "I'm not sure...Just...people in the hospital...trying to take you away..." He said, very lightly running his fingers down Dib's arm.

"So I guess that's why you were holding on to me so tightly. M-Maybe I shouldn't have tried so hard to get away. You were just keeping your promise to stay with me no matter what." Dib said, pressing his cheek against Zim's chest.

Still feeling horrible for what he did, Zim merely continued to carefully brush his fingers on Dib's arm while staring gloomily at the bedcovers in silence.

Reaching up his good arm to remove the Irken's wig so he could lightly caress Zim's antennae between his fingers, Dib lifted his eyes to peer up at Zim just to frown at seeing the look on the other's face. "It really wasn't your fault..." He whispered.

Eyes widening a little at the touch he received before relaxing again, Zim brought up one arm to carefully wrap around Dib. Bringing up his other arm to lightly brush his fingers over the sling supporting Dib's arm, he then looked at it curiously for a moment. "Does it still hurt?" He asked, knowing how painful dislocating a limb could be from past experiences.

Dib shook his head. "No. Not really. It started to feel a lot better after they relocated my shoulder back into place, and they gave me a really strong painkiller, so I don't even really feel anything in this arm at the moment. It might be a little sore later after the painkiller wears off, but I don't see why they had to put my arm in a sling. It's not like I can't move it or anything." He said, looking down at the hand of his arm that was in the sling and flexing his fingers.

"Really?" Zim took Dib's hand, gently running his thumb over it. "Heh. For a minute there, I thought I'd done much worse." He smiled at him a little. "But maybe it's best you don't move it around too much. I know how painful dislocating limbs can be...Even for Irkens." He laughed a bit in a light-hearted manner.

Dib smiled back at Zim. "I'm kind of surprised this is the first time I've ever dislocated anything considering how much we used to fight in the past." He said in a slightly amused tone of voice also.

"Hmm." Zim ran a hand through Dib's hair, still smiling. "And...Hopefully it will be the last time." He brought his hand down from his hair to his cheek. "I'm still finding it hard to believe I did that in my sleep." He said, a little surprised by his own strength.

Dib tensed slightly at those words. "W-Well, you didn't exactly DO anything to me. You just kind of clung to my arm and wouldn't let me go. I just panicked and tried to get away when your PAK began to activate. S-So it really WAS my fault." He said, having been unable to help himself in that moment.

Staring at him a little surprised for a moment, Zim then shook his head. "No. If you hadn't woken me up like that, I could have done much worse once my PAK had been activated...But if I do anything like that again just...yank on my antennae or something. That will wake me up for sure." He said with a small nod, not even wanting to consider what might have happened if he hadn't woken up when he had.

Staring up at Zim's antennae for a moment, Dib then reached up a hand to take one of the thin appendages between his fingers. "I...don't want to hurt you though, and I know how sensitive these can be." He gave it a slight rub, drawing out a low moan from Zim just to make the Irken cover his mouth almost the second it had left his lips. Staring back at the now blushing alien, he then let go of his antenna. "S-Sorry..." He apologized, blushing a bit himself.

Zim moved himself so his face was buried in Dib's neck to hide his blush. "It's...okay." he said, re-wrapping his arms around the other and lightly brushing his lips against his neck affectionately.

His eyes shut as he let his body go lax against Zim's, Dib inhaled in a small gasp before humming out a small content sigh through his closed lips. "Mmmm..." He sounded out in the quiet room.

Gently moving his hands along Dib's back as he hugged him closely to himself, Zim closed his eyes as he gave his neck one small affectionate lick before he continued to lightly rub his lips against it again.

The feel of the Irken's lips gently dragging themselves across his skin relaxing him, Dib began to nod off just a bit against Zim. "Mmmmm...That feels really good, Zim..." He murmured against the other's antennae.

Zim's antennae twitched a little. "Mmmm..." He parted his lips a bit to breathe out warm air against Dib's neck, moving up and along it gently.

A low-toned groan escaping his lips at the pleasurable feeling, Dib tilted his head back slightly, just enough to allow Zim more room.

Running his hands down Dib's back a little, Zim moved himself against his neck more, giving it a few small licks.

Beginning to pant heavily against the other's antennae, Dib's face flushed a light pink.

"Mmm..." Zim blushed at the feel of Dib's warm breath on his antennae before peeking his eyes open a little and working up Dib's neck to his face by dragging his lips over his skin. Lightly brushing his lips against Dib's, he then pushed into a little peck before pulling away a small distance to smile at the other, bringing up a hand to Dib's cheek and lightly rubbing his thumb there.

Blush deepening as he stared back at Zim, Dib brought a hand up to trace his fingers across his lips where Zim had just kissed him.

Until next time~


	48. Chapter 48

Dib Is Sick Chapter 48: Plans for the Future

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Smile widening at Dib's reaction to his kiss, Zim ran his hand over Dib's hair and planted a small lick to his forehead. Wrapping his arm back around him, he then nuzzled the side of his face.

Finally letting his hand fall away from his lips, Dib sighed out contently and closed his eyes, the feel of Zim's cool skin pressed to his warm skin a nice relief.

Running a hand on his back soothingly, Zim continued to slowly nuzzle against him, happy now that Dib was comfortable.

Bringing his legs up, Dib curled in on himself a bit. "Mmm...Can we just...stay like this for the rest of the night?" He asked, not wanting to move away.

"Mmhmm." Zim nodded against him comfortably, nuzzling one last little peck to his forehead before cuddling him closely again. "When all this is over...and you get better again...let's go to outer space in the voot..." He said, wanting nothing more than to just take Dib far away from Earth and all the people who had ever made fun of him growing up.

Opening his eyes, Dib looked at Zim with an excited smile. "You'd really take me there?!" He exclaimed, eyes lighting up at the prospect.

Zim smiled back at him. "Yeah. Maybe I'll even show you some other planets too...If you wanted." He said, wanting to make the trip more than just an up-close view of the stars.

Wrapping his arms around Zim the best he could, Dib squeezed him tightly. "That would be the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me, Zim! Thank you so much!" He nuzzled his face to the other's chest. "I don't know how...how I could ever repay you..." He whispered that last part quietly to the Irken.

"Heh." Zim blushed a little. "Yes, yes. I am Zim. You are welcome, Dib-thing, and there is no need to repay me..." He ran a hand over his hair.

Dib looked back up at Zim. "But I really want to. You've done so many nice things for me these past few days." His eyes fell half-lidded. "I just...really want to...Even if I don't know how yet, I'll think of something worth giving to you. Something really special, that's only for you and nobody else." He said before closing his eyes sleepily.

Staring at him for a moment, Zim leaned in to give him a peck on the lips again as if to say 'thank you' before pulling away and smiling at him.

Opening his eyes to stare back at Zim with a bright blush on his face, Dib looked away shyly as he began to fiddle with the bed covers.

Smile fading, Zim replaced it with a curious look. "Hmm?...Something wrong, Dib?" He asked, confused by the human's reaction.

Having been spacing out on the other a bit, Dib jumped slightly. "Wh-What?! N-No!...I'm fine...I'm just..." He lifted his eyes up to look at Zim before dropping them back down again. "I'm just...tired, I guess..." He shrugged slightly, continuing to fiddle with the bed covers all the while.

"Oh, okay. Maybe try to get some sleep then. I'll stay awake so I can keep an eye on you during the night." Zim smiled.

Looking back at Zim before nodding his head slowly, Dib laid back in the bed and reached out his arms to Zim with grabby hands, knowing he probably wouldn't be able to convince the other to get some sleep tonight but still wanting that closeness.

Staring over at the other for a moment, Zim then carefully moved himself to lie on top of Dib, bringing up the covers over the both of them.

Getting himself settled into the bed, Dib wrapped his good arm around Zim tightly, all the while half-wrapping his other arm around the Irken. Looking about the room one last time, he then hid his face away in the alien's chest. "...I don't like it here..." He murmured quietly.

Zim sighed. "I know you don't." He wrapped his arms around Dib. "But...You have Zim here with you." He said, trying to offer the other at least some comfort.

"I want to go home..." Dib pressed himself closer to Zim, keeping his face hidden in the other's shirt so he didn't have to see all the strange medical machinery in the room before closing his eyes and sighing out heavily.

Pulling the covers up more so they were both completely hidden underneath them, Zim laid back on his side and cuddled up to Dib, shaking his head. "Enough of this, Dib. Just try to get some sleep, okay?" He said, trying to make the other feel comfortable again.

Dib nodded his head against Zim's chest again. "Okay...I'll try..." He nuzzled himself up under Zim's chin until he was finally able to fall to sleep.

Letting out a contented sigh, Zim, feeling warm and comfortable, closed his eyes after a while only to have them snap back open again. Deciding that falling asleep would not be the best thing to let happen, he then gently ran a hand over Dib's back.

At feeling Zim rubbing his back, Dib let his eyes drift back open again. "You really aren't going to sleep, are you?" He lifted his gaze to look up at Zim. "I-If you feel tired though, you can go ahead and sleep in the other bed. I won't mind." He said, not wanting to keep the other there if he got tired.

"Nope. I'm not tired. In fact, Irkens don't require much sleep." Zim hugged Dib. "But you NEED to sleep. Don't worry about me." He said, trying to coax the boy into returning back to sleep without him.

Until next time~


	49. Chapter 49

Dib Is Sick Chapter 49: Hallucinations

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Frowning a bit at Zim's words, Dib opened his mouth as though to argue before stopping himself and merely letting out a small sigh. "But...Oh, okay..." He nuzzled his face back into Zim's chest but this time didn't close his eyes as he let his good arm restlessly find its way up Zim's back to locate his antennae to play with a bit.

The small touch making them flick slightly, Zim jolted a bit at the sudden sensation before relaxing again and letting his eyes fall half-lidded. "Hmmmm..." He sounded out in a quiet purr.

Pulling his hand back at the small flick and jolt, Dib then gently reached his hand back up to take one of the thin appendages between two of his fingers. "S-Sorry..." He blushed as he very gently began to stroke it again in an attempt to distract himself from having to return back to sleep.

"Mmhmmm..." Zim closed his eyes and, careful not to hurt Dib's arm, took his hand to nuzzle softly to his cheek before sighing comfortably.

Cupping Zim's cheek in his palm to stroke gently, Dib's fingers twitched against the cool skin before he smiled a little and whispered gently. "I wish I had your skin right now." He said, the soft skin comforting him in a way that nothing else could.

Peeking one eye open, Zim looked at the other. "Hmm? Why's that, Dib?" He asked, nuzzling more against his warm hand.

Lifting his gaze, Dib looked back up at Zim. "Hmmm? Oh! I-It's really soft and...and nice and cool..." He said, smiling up at him a bit before brushing his thumb across Zim's cheek. "I wish my skin were like that right now because...because it's not really all that comfortable right now." He smiled even more as he nuzzled himself to Zim.

Zim blushed. "Well...Irken skin IS pretty amazing." He said, holding Dib's hand to his cheek. "But you're always so warm...It's nice. Probably not so nice for you though." He then said, sending him a slightly sympathetic look.

At the feel of Zim's hand on his own, Dib's eyes fell half-lidded. "It's not so bad when I'm not sick, but right now...right now it's just beyond tolerable. At times, I feel as though I can't even move because if I do...if I do, it will just hurt even more...But at the same time, I can't just lay here 24/7. Otherwise, I just feel like the room is getting even warmer. But with you here, I feel somewhat better whenever even just a little bit of your skin is pressed to mine. Because it's so nice and cool. It kind of feels like somebody pressing an ice pack to my skin." He said, eyelids fluttering slightly as he fought to keep them open.

Staring back at him for a moment, Zim looked down a little sadly before looking back at him again and smiling. Bringing up his other hand, he then rested it on Dib's warm cheek.

Sighing out contently at the small gesture, Dib finally let his eyes slip all the way closed. "Mmmm...That feels...really nice..." He said before yawning tiredly, finally beginning to drift back off again.

Rubbing a thumb lightly on his cheek, Zim continued to smile at Dib lazily. "Yeah..." He said before planting a small kiss on his forehead and nuzzling comfortably against Dib's hand on his own cheek.

Finally drifting off completely, Dib's breathing calmed as his hand near Zim's antennae fell away to just hang draped over the Irken's body.

An hour passing as he watched Dib sleep, Zim eventually felt himself beginning to drift off also and closed his eyes only to have them snap wide open again. Carefully sitting himself up, trying his best not to wake the other, he then pressed a hand back to Dib's cheek, sitting beside him and continuing to watch him sleep.

Shifting to his stomach underneath the covers, Dib let out a small whine in his sleep at all the movement before settling again. "Mmmm...Zim..." He mumbled as he pressed himself even closer to said alien.

Smiling down at him, Zim ran a hand through Dib's hair before looking around the room and sighing quietly.

It wasn't until a few hours later that Dib sat up suddenly in bed, coughing hoarsely into one hand for a few moments before bringing his free hand up to hold his head as he peeked his eyes open to look about the dark room, the strange looking machinery and shadows stretching across the floor and walls causing him to let out a small whimper and try to shuffle away from them in a small panic. Covering his eyes with both hands, he then curled in on himself as far back against the bed as he possibly could.

At Dib awakening so suddenly, Zim jumped a little. "Dib?" He crawled over to him and rubbed his hands on Dib's arms gently in an attempt to calm him, looking at him concerned. "What's wrong?" He asked, thinking that perhaps the boy had had a nightmare or something.

Removing his hands from his face to look at the other, Dib jolted a bit at the sudden feel of Zim placing his hands on him before letting out a startled cry as he shoved the Irken away onto the ground and scrambled to his feet, eyes wide with terror. "No! Stay away from me!" He stumbled into some medical equipment in the room, knocking it over onto the floor with a loud crash, causing him to jolt again and look back at it before letting out another terrified cry. Making an attempt to get away from it, he then whirled around just to see himself surrounded by an array of creepy-looking shadows and blurred figures, one of which was Zim. He backed up, all of them seeming to approach closer to him with each passing second. "No! All of you stay away from me!" He said again, his entire body trembling now as he couldn't identify one thing from another.

Extending a metal tentacle from his PAK for a short moment to flick on the lights, Zim stared down at Dib more confused than anything before grabbing his glasses and kneeling down in front of him, holding out the glasses to him. "Calm down. No-one else is here. Just Zim, see?" He tried to calm the other the best he could but to no avail.

Slapping the glasses to the side and shuffling away from the Irken, Dib merely continued to panic. "I said to stay away!" he screamed before his eyes grew wide suddenly as he winced in pain and grasped at his chest for a few moments before forcing his eyes open to look about the room, everything in there morphing even more into some sort of horrible nightmare world. Gasping for air, he then shook his head, repeating himself over and over again. "No...No...No...Stay away...I want to go home...I want...I want to go home..." He looked back up towards the door of the room, everything spinning as all he could see now were hundreds of eyes staring in at him, those eyes merely being the eyes of other hospital patients who had woken up because of him and come out of their rooms to see what all the commotion was about.

"Eep!" Zim quickly put on his disguise before anyone saw and then stood to turn and scowl at all the people, shaking a fist up at them. "Hey! Go back to your own stinking rooms and mind your own business!" He demanded, ignoring them and turning back to Dib, who he knelt down in front of again. "Dib, what's wrong with you? I don't understand..." He continued trying to speak to him as calmly as he could to settle him down.

"What's going on in here?" The nurse stood in the doorway now before turning to the other patients. "Alright. All of you back to bed." She said before walking into the room as all the others left.

Zim turned to the nurse. "I don't know. He just freaked out, okay!?" He exclaimed, not wanting to be blamed for this again.

"Let me take a look at him." The nurse approached nearer to Dib slowly. "Dib? Are you alright?" She asked in a soft voice so as not to startle him anymore than he already was.

Backing up as her blurred figure approached closer to him, Dib jolted at her sudden closeness and forced himself up onto his feet again. "Stop! Stay back! Leave me alone!" He bumped into a chair in the room that he stumbled into and grabbed it, holding it between himself and her, threatening to swing or throw it at her.

As soon as Dib had grabbed hold of the chair, the nurse backed up and turned to Zim. "Do you think you can get ahold of him and hold him down?" She asked, knowing this was now a two person situation.

Not liking the idea very much, Zim looked up at the nurse before turning back to Dib again. "...Okay..." He said before darting over to Dib, pulling the chair off him quickly and grabbing him from behind, only making Dib panic and struggle against him even more. "Rhnngh! Dib, enough of this already!" He said as he struggled to hold him still, finally managing after a few moments to place the glasses back over Dib's eyes.

Trying to twist himself this way and that in an attempt to escape, Dib continued to struggle desperately against Zim but to no avail. "Let me go! Let me go! Don't touch me! Please! Just let me go!" He screamed, unable to do anything more in that moment.

Taking this moment as her opportunity to get a better look at him, the nurse placed a hand on his forehead before pulling back quickly and pulling out a thermometer to force into his mouth and hold there until it beeped. Taking it out a minute or so later, she then looked at it once she had gotten an accurate reading. "His temperature has skyrocketed since I last took it. It must be causing him hallucinate." She looked back up at Zim. "Wait here. I'll be right back with a temporary fever reducer that should help him to calm down until the doctor is able to have another look at him in the morning." She said, leaving the room to retrieve the fever reducer, leaving Zim with the struggling Dib still fighting desperately to get away from him.

Until next time~


	50. Chapter 50

Dib Is Sick Chapter 50: Worse

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

As Dib's struggling to get away got worse and worse by the second, Zim had to hold onto him even tighter to ensure he wouldn't hurt himself in his current state of mind. "Dib, stop it! I'm not going to hurt you!" He exclaimed, still gripping him tightly before his voice became a bit softer. "I'd never let anyone hurt you...Please, Dib. Enough of this." He then tried to calm him so the nurse's presence there wouldn't set him off again when she returned.

His efforts to get away lessening with each passing minute as he panted out tiredly in the quiet room, Dib struggled for a few minutes longer before finally beginning to grow tired, tears streaming down his cheeks from how worn out he was now. "Please...I just want to go home...Please, let me go...You're hurting me..." He jerked his body about a few more times in one last attempt to get away before finally becoming still in the other's arms, hugging himself and breaking down even more.

Using this opportunity to quickly turn Dib around and hug him to himself, Zim couldn't help but feel rather guilty for having to do this as one arm wrapped over him in case he tried to escape again and the other hand stroked Dib's hair gently in an attempt to try and calm him a bit. "...I'm sorry." He moved his hand down from Dib's hair to press to his warm cheek.

Burying his face in the soft fabric of Zim's uniform top, Dib's body shook with emotion as every small touch from the Irken was almost enough to have him bursting into tears again from how sore his body currently was.

With a syringe in hand, the nurse made her way back into the room. "Alright, I got the fever reducer. As soon as this takes effect, he should start to calm down somewhat and hopefully recognize who we are again." She approached Dib, taking his arm and injecting him with the medicine, causing Dib to let out a loud yelp at the sudden feeling of something piercing the skin on his arm.

Beginning to struggle a bit again, Dib didn't stop until he felt her finally pull the needle out of his arm.

"There, there now, Dib. You'll be fine." The nurse looked back up at Zim. "It may take somewhere between 10 to 20 minutes to take full effect. In the meantime, can you help me get him back into bed?" She asked, moving to help Zim lift him up from the floor.

Nodding and letting the nurse help him sit Dib onto the bed carefully, Zim kept ahold of him.

"Don't worry. He'll be alright in a bit. Just keep an eye on him, and contact me if anything happens."

Turning to Dib as the nurse left, Zim nodded again. Looking at him in a mixture of guilt and sympathy, he then carefully placed him on his lap, hugging him to himself again but not tightly. "I'm sorry, Dib-thing...I didn't know what else to do." He said, feeling horrible about how roughly he had been forced to handle Dib.

Slowly calming, little by little as Zim held him close, Dib sniffled wetly as he was rocked back and forth a bit in a soothing manner. Hiding his face in the other's chest, his body then continued to shake as everything around him slowly began to calm down, causing his blurred vision to become clearer and clearer as the effects of the medicine began to take their toll on him. "Z-Zim...?" He asked in a rather disoriented manner.

Eyes widening a little at hearing his name, Zim smiled weakly. "Yep." He gave him a small peck on the forehead. "Feeling any better?" He asked, happy to see Dib recognized him now.

Wincing a bit in pain, Dib closed his eyes. "M-My head hurts..." He looked up at Zim, confusion setting in as he brought a shaking hand up to feel his face, wet with tears, but was unable to register any longer why he had begun crying in the first place. Looking about the room, he then noticed the things that had been knocked over by him or shoved to the side, like the chair he had grabbed ahold of earlier. "Wh-What happened?" He asked, not remembering anything that had just occurred.

"You don't remember?" Zim brought up his hands to Dib's face and wiped away his tears with his thumbs. "Oh, don't worry about it." He smiled at him.

Sending Zim another confused look, Dib looked around the room again before then shuddering. "I think I'm going to be sick..." He said, holding his stomach and trying to keep himself from losing it all over the bed.

Zim's eyes widened a bit. "Oh...Uhmm." He looked around. "I thought I saw a..." He looked under the bed and grabbed a bucket, placing it in Dib's arms and pressing the call button on the wall before moving back over to Dib again.

Body jolting a few times as he tried to keep down what little he had in his stomach, Dib finally gave in and began throwing up in the bucket, once again most of it being blood. Placing it to the side once he'd finished, he then began shaking all over and took in a shaky breath as he leaned in to cling to Zim and wait for the nurse to come.

Putting his arms back around Dib, Zim rubbed a hand on his back lightly and looked sad for the other.

The nurse walked in. "Someone called for me?" she asked before noticing the bucket.

Zim looked up at the nurse. "Yes...Dib threw up." He said, keeping his voice soft for the other's sake.

"Alright, I'll take care of it and be back in a few minutes with a cup of water so he can rinse his mouth out." The nurse took the bucket to have it cleaned, turning back to face Zim before leaving the room. "In the meantime, why don't you get him back into bed so he can lie down and get some rest? It's about time he got back to sleep anyways, and hopefully it will make him feel better." She said, not wanting him to stay up out of bed for much longer.

His eyes tightly closed, Dib let a small whimper slip out from him as he buried his face even further into Zim's chest. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." He apologized over and over to the other.

Pulling back the covers, Zim turned back to Dib once the nurse left. "Yeah, maybe you should try getting back to sleep, Dib." He got off the bed, moving Dib over to rest his head on the pillow and bring the covers up over him.

Closing his eyes and trying to keep back his tears as he reached out his arms to Zim, Dib sniffled wetly, just wanting the other's closeness. "I don't want to be here. Why can't I just get better already so I can go home?" His voice came out in a broken tone.

Wrapping his arms around Dib, Zim sighed. "I don't know, but you will get better, Dib. It's just...taking time." He said, also wishing Dib didn't have to stay there.

"But I'm just getting worse!" Dib hid his face back in Zim's chest, now beginning to cry again as he felt as though all of this suffering had been for nothing.

"..." Zim remained silent for a moment before looking down a little sadly as he continued to hug the other. "Well...Maybe it has to get worse before it gets better...?" He suggested, just wanting to say anything in that moment that might make Dib feel better about things.

With a glass of water and a plastic bowl in hand, the nurse walked back in. "Here we are, Dib." she said, offering him both.

Moving out of the way, Zim allowed the nurse to hand them over to Dib.

Taking the cup of water from her to wash his mouth out with, Dib very slowly sat back up in the bed before handing her back the empty cup once he'd finished. "Thank you..." his voice was quiet, coming out in a low whisper as he returned to lying back in the bed, turning over on his side and closing his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Dib. You've had a rough night. Just try to get some sleep now. The doctor should be back in in a few hours or so to take a look at you. In the meantime, I'm going to try to contact your father again."

Slowly nodding his head, Dib then hid his face in his pillow.

The nurse turned to Zim. "I think things here will be calming down now, so I suggest you get some sleep as well." She said, gesturing to the spare bed in the room.

"Mmhmm..." Zim nodded and watched the nurse leave before sighing, looking back at Dib a little sadly and laying down on his side next to him. He then ran a hand over Dib's back gently.

Turning to face Zim so he could press as close to the other as physically possible and hide his face in the Irken's chest, Dib opened his eyes, resting his head right under Zim's chin. He sniffled wetly a few times. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." He apologized to the other in a broken tone over and over again.

Zim's eyes widened. "Eh? Sorry for what, Dib?" He lifted Dib's face to look up at him. Wiping away Dib's tears with his thumbs, he then stared down at him, looking both a bit confused and sad for the other.

Looking up at Zim, Dib continued to sniffle wetly. "F-For everything! I'm sorry for making you stay here with me! And I'm sorry for having to put you through all this! You shouldn't have to be here dealing with any of this, but you are! And I just keep making the situation 10 times worse for you!" He exclaimed before breaking down all over again.

Looking a bit shocked for a moment by that, Zim then frowned and shook his head. "Nonsense. You shouldn't be apologizing over anything! I just want to help you through with all this and be here for you to see that you get better...So no more tears." He leaned in to give him a small peck on the lips. "...Zim is here out of choice." He said with an affirmative nod so the other wouldn't doubt him or his words.

Until next time~


	51. Chapter 51

Dib Is Sick Chapter 51: Protector

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Still fairly upset despite Zim's words to him, Dib shook his head, not so sure he could believe the Irken. "I can't believe that! Because...Because...You know that your being here is the only reason for me agreeing to come here in the first place! And you're the one thing keeping me from getting up out of this bed and leaving to go home! So it IS my entire fault for putting you through all of this!" He exclaimed, breaking down all over again.

Again, Zim frowned. "Lies, nothing of this is your fault...Zim doesn't do anything for anyone unless Zim WANTS to do it. You think I'd rather not be here with you right now?" He hugged Dib to himself and lightly nuzzled the side of his face to calm him before speaking softly. "I want...to protect you...And I've never wanted to do that for anyone else, so...don't be sorry about anything, Dib." He said, planting a small kiss to his forehead.

Breathing still shaky, Dib closed his eyes at the gentle kiss. "E-Even if I just continue to get worse? Y-You still want to be here with me?" He asked, trying to calm down now.

"Yes! Of course Zim will stay." Zim nodded slowly and closed his own eyes, still hugging Dib closely as he mumbled. "...You still don't trust me..." He said, just loud enough for Dib to hear in the otherwise quiet room.

Snapping his head up to look at Zim, Dib's eyes grew wide at those words. "That's not true! I...I just..." He felt himself beginning to panic as he all too suddenly shoved Zim away and curled in on himself, coughing into his hands and breathing heavily.

Eyes wide at having been shoved away so suddenly, Zim sat up startled before looking down at the other scared now. "Dib, wha-" He put a hand on Dib's arm and rubbed at it gently. "What's wrong?!" He asked in a small panic of his own, thinking that perhaps he'd caused Dib's condition to grow worse somehow.

Letting out a small cry at the touch, Dib tried to pull away. "Ow! D-Don't touch me! I-It hurts!" He pulled his hands away from his mouth, blood dripping from them. "I-I all of a sudden f-feel like I c-can't breathe..." He gasped out before noticing Zim going to reach for the call button again and grabbing ahold of the other's arm. "N-No! I-I don't want any doctors or nurses in here! No more! Not again!" He looked up at Zim with panic-stricken eyes as he swallowed and tried to calm himself down enough to breathe more normally.

Debating on whether or not to hit the call button, Zim stared down at him before lowering his hand, deciding not to as Dib would only panic again. Looking down, he then slowly nodded his head in defeat. "...Fine." he agreed but couldn't help feeling worried still.

Closing his eyes and trying to calm down enough to fall back to sleep, Dib hesitantly released Zim's arm and hugged himself instead, feeling horrible now as he knew all he was doing while being awake was frustrating Zim even more. "I'm sorry..." He whispered quietly to the other.

Lazily smiling a little, Zim lifted his head to look back at the other before gently running a hand over Dib's hair. "Don't be." He said, flopping himself down onto his back beside the other before sighing and staring up at the ceiling.

Slowly turning himself over onto his side so he could face Zim, Dib rested his head in the other's lap.

Eyes widening before falling half-lidded again, Zim smiled down at Dib lazily and fiddled with a lock of his hair.

Letting his eyes fall half-lidded also as Zim played with his hair, Dib sighed gently, finally beginning to calm down somewhat. "Can you keep doing that until I fall asleep?" He asked, not wanting to cause the other anymore unnecessary stress.

"Heh, okay." Zim ran his fingers through Dib's raven-black hair and over his scythe-shaped lock, carefully playing around with it for a while.

Letting his eyes slip closed, Dib slowly drifted back off to sleep and curled up with his head resting in Zim's lap comfortably.

After a while of playing with Dib's hair, Zim's vision went blurry from how tired he felt. Looking down at Dib for a moment, he then eventually just closed his eyes and drifted back off to sleep himself.

Several hours later, a nurse walked into the room just as the sun was beginning to shine through the window, a tray of food in hand. Placing it to the side, she then pushed back some of Dib's hair to feel his forehead.

Letting out a small whine at the feel of someone pressing a hand to his forehead, Dib blinked his eyes partway open before noticing the nurse staring down at him.

"Sorry to wake you, Dib, but I wasn't sure whether you'd want to try eating some breakfast this morning or not." the nurse held out a small plate of toast to him just to have him shrink back in the covers and shift over onto his other side, obviously not the least bit interested in the food. She sighed. "Alright, Dib, I guess you're still not feeling well enough to eat." She looked up at Zim who was still fast asleep with Dib resting in his lap. "But if your friend is at all hungry when he wakes up, go ahead and tell him I brought a little food up from the cafeteria." She left the plate of food there and took the tray with her, turning down the lights on her way out. "I'll be back to check in on you in a little bit." She said, deciding to let him sleep a while longer before they started any tests on him for that day.

Merely nodding his head slightly before looking up at the sleeping Irken, Dib's mind remained in a sleepy haze as he closed his eyes and returned to sleep.

After about another five minutes or so, Zim let out a small whine once he started to come around, rubbing his eyes and blinking down at Dib. Looking over at the food now in the room for a moment, he then remembered that he hadn't eaten anything in days. Shrugging it off however, he merely returned to fiddling with a lock of Dib's hair for a bit, not trusting the food that the nurse had left there for them.

At the feel of Zim playing with his hair, Dib blinked his eyes partially open again and lifted his head up to look at the other above him as he spoke in a tired voice. "The nurse was in here earlier. She brought you some food from the cafeteria if you want some." He said before closing his tired eyes again and yawning to himself.

"Hmm? Oh." Zim looked at the food with uncertainty for a moment. "Ehm...But...Aren't you having anything?" He asked, not wanting to eat anything he was unfamiliar with.

Dib shook his head. "No...I'm not hungry...I think she thought I might be able to eat some toast or some other bland food, but I don't even want that..." he turned over on his side again, facing away from the food to keep from getting sick again.

Shuddering a bit, Zim looked over at the food. "Ugh...How can humans even call that FILTH food!?" he looked at it just a bit longer. "Well...Maybe I could try-" he hesitantly reached a hand out to grab a piece of toast, looking at it with uncertainty before taking a tiny bite of it. "...Augh!" He coughed, putting it back onto the plate before rolling onto his front and mumbling into a pillow. "Disgusting, filthy human food..." He said, irritable over the fact that he couldn't leave to grab some of his Irken food from home.

Dib looked over at Zim. "Y-You could always try one of the snack machines they have out in the hallway. Those usually have pretty good stuff." He suggested, knowing Zim preferred snacks over most regular foods.

After a moment, Zim grunted and turned his head to look at Dib. "Well...Nah. It might just poison me like most food...Plus I'm not going to leave you in this room alone." He said, not wanting to break his promise to the other.

Dib frowned. "It's alright. I'm fine now. I don't want you starving yourself because of me. So just so long as you promise to come back, I'll be fine if you leave to get food." he said, too tired to care whether he was left alone for a moment or not.

Until next time~


	52. Chapter 52

Dib Is Sick Chapter 52: Food

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Scoffing a bit at Dib's words, Zim shook his head and brought up a fist. "Pff, I'm not starving myself! I'm an Irken! I can go for days without food!" He exclaimed enthusiastically before shutting his eyes and nuzzling into a pillow. "Yep...Zim needs no food." he then murmured to himself, still in his own half-asleep daze.

Sending the other a rather unimpressed look, Dib raised a brow when he heard Zim's stomach growl suddenly. "So, I take it THAT'S why you look so skinny all the time?" He said, rolling his eyes at the Irken's refusal.

"Eh?" Zim frowned, putting his hands to his stomach. "What are you talking about, Dib-thing?" he sank down a bit.

"You really don't eat that often, do you? And that's why you always look so skinny."

"Nonsense," Zim turned his head the other way and frowned. "Zim doesn't know what you are speaking of..." he said rather stubbornly, a little irritated by Dib's words to him.

Dib glared over at Zim. "Then tell me. When was the last time you actually ate something?" he asked, knowing he hadn't seen Zim eat even one thing in all the time he'd been spending with him as of late.

Closing his eyes, Zim shrugged. "I don't know...I eat so much, I can never remember...Oh such food I eat...Yep." He buried his face into the pillow again.

Dib frowned even more. "Liar..." He turned over in the bed so his back was now facing Zim and pulled away from the other a bit.

"Uuugh...Diiib." Zim looked back at him. "I already told you that Irkens don't require very much food. I am perfectly fine. Really!" He said, hating the fact that Dib thought he was lying about that.

"But you've been with me for the past 3 or 4 days, and I haven't seen you eat once! Irken or not, you shouldn't be going that long without food!" Dib curled in on himself a bit.

Frowning down at the other, Zim pushed himself up. "Fine, Zim shall buy some of your FILTHY earth food already!" he got onto his feet. "THEN you shall witness my eating." He muttered and stormed off to the vending machine. Suddenly feeling a bit guilty for acting like that and leaving the other, he then took care to make sure it was a quick trip there and back.

Watching the other leave with wide eyes, a bit shaken by the sudden yelling, Dib shrank back in the covers when Zim returned with a chocolate candy bar and some potato chips.

"Okay, I have food..." Zim dropped them onto the bed and sat himself down opposite Dib, looking down at the two snacks. "I don't know whether I can actually eat this stuff, but I'll tr-" he looked up at Dib and felt a sudden twinge of guilt again before looking off to the side. "...Uhm...Sorry..." He looked at Dib, hopeful that he wasn't too upset.

Hugging himself tightly, Dib tensed at Zim's sudden closeness before pulling away to the very edge of the bed. "I-It's...It's fine..." he said, trying to hide his discomfort the best he could despite how his voice wavered.

Zim sighed. "No...It's not...You were just worried and I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, but..." He picked up the candy bar. "I'm going to eat something now, so...Forgive Zim?" He looked at him hopeful, feeling rather uncomfortable about the whole situation himself.

Dib gripped his arms even tighter. "A-Alright..." His voice shook a bit.

Looking down at the snack in his hand, Zim stared over at Dib for a moment before opening it. "Okay...Well..." He grumbled to himself, giving the candy a small sniff before taking a bite and wincing in disgust at the same time. "...Ughh...Mm...It's...not bad, I guess." He took a larger bite. "...What is this stuff anyway?" he asked once he had gotten a mouthful of it.

Dib looked at the candy bar. "I-It's chocolate...You've never had chocolate in all the time you've been here?" he asked, a little surprised by that given he knew Zim ate at least some human foods already.

"Nuh," Zim shoved some more into his mouth, secretly really liking it but putting the rest of it aside after chewing and swallowing what he had in his mouth. "Okay. So that's one other thing I can eat on this planet, I guess...But...I'm done with eating for now." He said, not wanting to admit he was a little scared to try the other snack he had picked up at the vending machine.

"I-It's kind of a treat that people don't buy too often b-because people think that if they eat too much of it, they'll get fat. B-But humans tend to stock up on it during certain holidays..."

"Eh...It makes people fat? So...Is all the food on this planet bad for you if it actually tastes good?"

"It depends on what your definition of good is."

For a moment, Zim blinked at the other with a blank expression. "I don't know. Everything that I've tried on this planet that hasn't almost poisoned me is considered bad food." He shrugged. "I guess it's because Irkens just LIVE off artificial snacks...Hmmm...You know, Dib. Maybe you should try some of my food when you get better." He smirked. "It's much better than inferior earth food." he said with a small nod, trying to impress the boy some.

"And how do you know that your food won't have to same reaction on me as earth food has on you?"

"Hmm...I DON'T know...Ah well. Just try it if you're prepared to take the risk, but...Only when you're well enough." He leaned in nearer to the other a bit. "How are you feeling today anyway? Y'know, after last night and all?" he asked, having forgotten to question the other about that when he first woke up.

Until next time~


	53. Chapter 53

Dib Is Sick Chapter 53: Terms of Agreement

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Yawning and shifting onto his side again in the bed, Dib looked back at Zim through half-lidded eyes when the Irken asked him how he was feeling. "Tired..." He answered in a sleepy voice, a part of him just wanting to return to sleep despite having just woken up.

Moving in nearer to him, Zim stared down at him for a moment. "Umm… Dib, does it hurt to touch you right now, or...is it not so bad at the moment?" He asked, hoping he could scoot in closer so he could make up for everything that had unfolded the night before.

"I-It's fine...You can touch me. S-Sometimes I just feel like my body is on fire and everything hurts...But at the moment...I-I'm just really tired..."

"Okay. Well...Tell me if I'm hurting you, okay?" Zim said, lying on his side next to Dib, moving nearer and carefully wrapping his arms around him.

Turning over onto his other side to face Zim and nuzzle himself even closer, Dib nodded his head. "Okay..." He said in a tired voice before closing his eyes to sleep, just wanting to catch up on what had been taken from him the night before.

Closing his own eyes, Zim smiled as Dib nuzzled close to him, enjoying the warmth from the other as he hummed out a contented sigh.

After a few quiet moments, there then came a sudden tapping at the window of the room they were in.

Dib was by now fast asleep.

Lifting his head to look out the window just to see Gir hovering there, Zim raised an antenna. "Gir?" He said the android's name, thinking at first that he might be dreaming.

Zim doll in hand, Gir waved his hand wildly at Zim.

"Gir," Zim then whispered loudly. "Gir, go away! You can't be here! They don't allow dogs in this place!" He gestured for the other to leave when he realized he wasn't dreaming.

Pushing open the window, Gir flew in and landed on Zim. "Hi, MASTAH, I missed youuuu." He squealed, completely disregarding Zim's last command.

Making a small irritated sound at all the noise and movement, Dib shifted in the bed. "Mmmm..." He sounded out but otherwise didn't wake up.

"D'awww…Big head boy so kyoot!" Gir dropped the Zim doll he had brought with him near Dib.

Looking down at the doll, Zim then looked back at Gir. "You just had to bring that thing with you, huh?" He sent the robot a rather irritated look.

"YES!" Gir smiled right back at him, none the wiser to Zim's disapproval of the tiny replica. "Me and Squishy brought it to make the Big Head Boy feel aaaall better!" He then smiled cheerfully, now waving the vibrator from before about in one hand.

Zim's eyes widened in horror at the sight of said sex toy. "AHH! The dreaded love toy!" He grabbed it from Gir and shoved it into the SIR unit's head. "Keep that FILTHY thing away from me, Gir!" He then shuddered, eye twitching.

"Awww..."

Letting out another irritated grunt, Dib shifted again before blinking his eyes open to look up at Zim and Gir, glaring slightly.

Awkwardly, Zim looked to the side wide-eyed. "Heh...Blame him." He pointed to Gir who just waved and smiled.

"Awww, you look so cyute!" Gir held up the Zim doll again and waved it in front of him.

Blinking his eyes open more at the Zim doll being waved in front of his face, Dib blushed and grabbed it from the disguised SIR unit to hide under the covers with him before sending Zim a glance a few seconds later then quickly looking away shyly.

"Eh? What? I've seen it before, Dib." Zim smiled at the other.

Merely blushing even more, Dib sank down under the covers with it before hiding completely from the other's view, clutching the small Zim doll to his chest protectively.

"...What did I say?" Zim sighed and shook his head, sending Gir a 'This is your entire fault' glance.

From under the covers, Dib could feel himself drifting off again as he cuddled the doll and hugged it close to himself. Finally seeing everything go black around him, he then shifted about in his sleep a bit, causing the covers next to Zim to move.

Once he saw him shifting around, Zim looked back over at Dib. "Dib..?" he lifted the covers up slightly. "Oh...He's asleep." He carefully placed the covers back over him.

Walking into the room, Gaz came to stand behind Zim. "What are you doing?" she asked upon seeing Zim under the covers with her brother.

Jolting in shock, Zim turned around sharply. "Gaz, why are you here?" he asked when he realized who it was behind him.

"Oooh! Hi, spooky lady!"

Voice sounding irritated, Gaz folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Dad got a call from the hospital this morning but he's working right now, so he made me come down here to check on Dib." She said as though it were obvious before looking around the room and noticing the disarray it was still in from the previous night. "So, what the hell happened in here? I may not be a doctor, but I'm pretty sure all that equipment shouldn't just be lying on the ground like that. And why are you in bed with my brother?" She raised an eyebrow, sending Zim a questioning look.

His body beginning to shiver slightly, Dib shifted again in his sleep uncomfortably.

Looking to the side and blushing slightly, Zim sat himself at the edge of the bed and frowned, deciding to ignore her last question. "Well, if you must know, he started hallucinating last night and panicked. That's why it's such a mess in here..." He half mumbled, not bothering to tell her anything else that had occurred that night.

Pulling out her Game Slave 2 to start playing, Gaz plopped herself down into one of the chairs in the room. "So, how'd you convince him to actually let you take him here? He's deathly afraid of hospitals, y'know." She said, not seeming at all surprised or concerned by any of what Zim had just told her about the night before.

"Yes, I know...And I didn't convince him. He did...But only on the condition that I stay with him." Zim looked up at Gaz, frowning a bit. "Did you even know he was sick?" He then asked in a rather suspicious voice.

Pausing her game, Gaz sent Zim a fairly unimpressed look. "What do you think, Einstein? He's only a few doors down from my room. Of course I knew he was sick. Every night for the last week and a half all I've heard is non-stop hacking and coughing. But I figured eh..." She shrugged. "You know, he probably wouldn't have agreed to see a doctor even if I had said anything to him about it. I'm surprised you even got him to admit to himself that he needed to get medical attention." she returned back to her game.

Eyes narrowing on her a bit, Zim then looked off to the side again. "Yes, well...I guess he just needed someone to actually care..." He said, hating how lightly Gaz was treating Dib's condition.

Until next time~


	54. Chapter 54

Dib Is Sick Chapter 54: Interruptions

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Just continuing to play her game despite Zim's obvious disapproval of her lack of concern, Gaz merely shrugged at his words, knowing already that Dib never would have agreed to go to the hospital, even if she had shown concern towards him about his current illness. "And exactly WHEN did you two become best of friends? Was it before or after having sex? Because I could have sworn you were still enemies up until just a few days ago." She said, not even missing a beat as she continued playing on her Game Slave 2.

Starting to blush again, Zim's eyes grew wide at those words. "How did-" He frowned and muttered something angrily, folding his arms.

Gaz smirked at Zim's reaction. "Heh...I knew it...So, who's on top and who's on bottom?" She asked jokingly, her smirk growing.

Shivering and letting out a short-lived whine at the fact that he couldn't locate the Irken anywhere near him, Dib shifted in his sleep suddenly. "Mmmm...Zim..." He murmured, almost as if on cue to answer Gaz's question.

"Whah!?.." Zim's eyes were utterly wide, blush darkening. "You speak filthy lieees, human!" His eyes then widened yet again and shifted to the side once Dib mentioned his name in his sleep. He looked back at Gaz with a frown. "Shut up, worm-maggot..." He then said, just trying to avoid the question altogether with insults thrown towards her.

Frowning, Dib blinked his eyes open slightly just in time to hear those last few words of Zim's. "Hmmm...Are you talking to me? What did I say?!" He shrank down in the covers and pulled away from the other, not awake enough to realize that his sister was in the room with them.

Looking at Dib, Zim turned in towards him. "What!? No...I was talking to...Your visitor." He glared over at Gaz.

"Hmmm? Visitor?" Dib slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, eyes growing wide at the site of Gaz. "G-Gaz?! Wh-When did you get here?!" He then looked back and forth between Zim and Gaz, so horribly confused now until it dawned on him. "Oh crap! Does that mean Dad knows?!" He began to panic somewhat.

Gaz rolled her eyes. "Well done, genius. Dad would be here himself if he didn't have work...But he'll be here later." She said, dropping her eyes back down to her game.

Sending Zim a nervous look, Dib flinched back slightly at her words. "W-Was he mad?" He asked, beginning to fidget rather nervously in the bed.

Looking back at Dib a bit sympathetically, Zim then looked over to Gaz to see what she would say.

Shrugging, Gaz peeked up at Dib from her game. "I dunno, but I can't say he's happy about it." She looked back at her game. "But...You'll find out later." She then said, a part of her almost sounding amused by Dib's discomfort in that moment.

Hiding his face in the covers, Dib shrank down a bit in them. "He's going to kill me for this..." He shuddered.

Just grunting, Gaz continued her game.

Again, Zim turned to Dib. "For what? It's not like you actually DID anything, Dib...He can't kill you for getting sick." He said, not understanding why Dib was getting so worked up over this.

Dib lifted his head slightly so the other could see just his eyes now. "I interrupted his work though, and I've gotten in trouble before for doing that." He said, not going into detail about the incident in question but sending Zim a rather frightened look all the same.

Zim frowned. "No, the hospital interrupted his work...Not you." He crawled over to him to sit near him and send him a smile. "Stop worrying, Dib-thing. It will be fine." He then said, trying to make the other feel more at ease.

Dib sighed. "Alright..." he shivered. "I-It's really cold in here..." He then said, bringing his arms up to hug himself.

"Hmm?" Zim looked at the window where Gir came in. "Gir, close the window." He said, thinking that might help the other warm up a bit.

"Okay! I do's it!" Gir hovered over to the window and shut it before walking over to Gaz to try and watch the game she was playing.

Curling in on himself as he could now feel goose bumps forming along his arms and legs, Dib's teeth started chattering as he tried to pull more of the blanket around himself for warmth. "M-My body is numb..." He said, shifting uncomfortably in the bed before he felt his body beginning to break out in almost uncontrollable shivers.

"Numb?" Zim stared at Dib. "You're cold again." He scooted nearer to him, leaning forward a bit and sitting with outstretched arms.

Leaning in to press himself to the Irken, Dib scooted himself closer to Zim. "I-It's like somebody shoved a bunch of ice down my shirt o-or forced me to take an ice bath..." He said, body jolting almost violently as he shivered in the other's arms.

Looking a little scared, worried that things were just getting worse, Zim brought up the blanket from behind Dib to hold around him while holding him closely at the same time.

Gaz glanced up from her game at them. "If you're so cold, should I call the nurse in here?" She asked, figuring she might as well do something to help seeing as how she had been instructed to spend at least an hour there before heading home.

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yeees!"

Zim, Dib and Gir all said at the same time respectively.

Sending Zim a pleading look, Dib tensed. "P-Please...I-I'll be fine...Just...N-No more doctors or nurses..." He hid his face in Zim's chest, clinging to him tightly.

Sighing, Zim frowned. "Dib...The nurse might be able to actually help with this, you know." He said, not wanting Dib to have to suffer just because he was being stubborn.

Peeking up at Zim for a split second, Dib then returned to hiding in his chest. "I-It would require running more t-tests though, wouldn't it?" He said, thinking his condition was only getting worse and would bring about an even more thorough examination.

"Hmm? I don't know, Dib...Maybe she'll just help you to get warm. I don't think that requires any tests."

Remaining silent for a few moments, Dib then finally responded in a quiet voice. "...Okay..." He said before clinging to Zim tighter still.

Until next time~


	55. Chapter 55

Dib Is Sick Chapter 55: Blackmail

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Smiling when Dib agreed to let him call in the nurse, Zim pet back a bit of his hair before turning to look back over towards Gaz and Gir. "Great...Um...Could someone press the button then?" He asked, not wanting to pull away from Dib while he was still feeling so cold.

"I do iiit!" Gir jabbed a hand on the button repeatedly. "Woo!" He squealed excitedly, enjoying this far too much.

Zim smacked himself in the forehead at Gir's stupidity.

Meanwhile, the nurse came running into the room in a panic. "What is it?! What's wrong?!" She looked around just to notice that they were all alright and Gir was still standing there on the bed, hitting the call button repeatedly. "Ummm...Is there an actual reason I was called in here?" She asked as she glared over at the disguised SIR unit.

"Gir, stop hitting that thing already!"

"OKAY!" Gir stopped and saluted.

"Ahem...Dib's feeling really cold all of a sudden."

Walking up to Dib, the nurse placed a hand on his forehead. "Hmmm...He's still feverish. But if he's really all that cold, let me get him some more blankets and see if that will help to warm him up a bit." she left the room to get some more blankets for him.

Watching the nurse leave, Zim then turned to Dib and smiled. "See, no tests, Dib-thing. You'll be fine." He assured the other, happy they were going to be able to help Dib without bringing him more stress than he already had.

Nodding slowly, Dib then closed his eyes and rested a cheek to Zim's chest comfortably, yawning tiredly. "I'm really tired today..." He said, already feeling as though he'd fall back off to sleep any moment now.

"Hmmm..." Zim nodded, bringing a hand up to run over Dib's hair. "I don't blame you. You were up most of the night...So perhaps try to sleep as much as you can today." He suggested, feeling that would be best for Dib anyways.

The nurse walked in holding some blankets. "Okay, here we are, Dib. These should help you warm up." She said, setting them down on the bed next to them and looking up at Dib. "Is there anything else you need?" She asked before leaving the room.

Already half asleep pressed up against Zim, Dib shook his head slowly.

The nurse smiled. "Alright, Dib, the doctor should be in to see you later. In the meantime, just get some rest and I'll check in on you in a few hours." She turned to leave the room.

Shivering as he felt Zim pulling another one of the blankets around him, Dib looked up at Zim. "You were up most of the night too. Aren't you tired?" He asked, knowing he had caused the other a lot of worry and trouble the night before.

"Well...A little, I guess. But it doesn't matter." Zim smiled. "You just get some sleep." He said, not feeling nearly as tired as Dib was.

"But it does matter! It's my fault you're tired. You should get some sleep too..."

Looking to the side in thought for a moment, Zim then looked back at Dib and nodded his head. "Okay. Zim will sleep then." He smiled at the other, wanting to make sure he drifted off first before he got settled himself.

Gaz, meanwhile, got up onto her feet. "Well... I'm just about ready to throw up." She walked toward the door but then turned back to face Dib. "Remember, dad will be here later on, Dib, so don't let him catch you doing any stuff with Zim." She said before exiting the room.

Frowning, Zim grunted at that.

Face flaring up a bright red at her words, Dib then looked back at Zim. "Wh-What do you think THAT was supposed to mean?" He asked, the fact that Gaz knew of their relationship not clicking inside his mind yet.

"Uhm..." Zim looked at Dib with a fake smile. "Oh, I'm sure it meant nothing. Don't worry." He tried to wave the comment off so as not to get Dib all riled up again.

Looking up at the forced smile on Zim's face, Dib then redirected his eyes down at the ground. "...It didn't sound like it meant nothing..." He said in a low voice as an unexplainable uneasiness suddenly settled upon him.

Face falling, Zim let out a sigh in defeat and frowned. "Okay, but...So what if it did? I don't think she's going to say anything anyway." He said nonchalantly, not realizing Dib hadn't pieced two and two together yet.

Dib's eyes suddenly widened at Zim's words as the realization just then dawned on him. "You mean she knows!? B-But how?!" He looked up at Zim in a panic.

"Eh!? But I thought that's what you were-" Zim stopped himself and smacked a hand over his forehead before then dragging his hand down over his eyes and bowing his head in shame. "..." An all too awkward silence settled over them, only causing Dib's stressing to skyrocket in that moment.

"You thought that's what I was what?!"

Zim looked at him guiltily. "I thought that's what you meant...That you knew what SHE meant by...uh...saying that...And now you're all worried again." He looked rather stressed himself as he hadn't meant to upset the other so much.

"I never said I knew what she meant! I had no idea she even knew about what's been going on between us!" Dib placed his hands on the sides of his head and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. "And now she's probably going to go and tell dad all about it and get me in even more trouble!" He exclaimed, just imagining how that conversation would go down.

Zim shook his head however. "I doubt it, Dib. I'm pretty sure she won't tell him, though she might try to blackmail you with it... Hmm...Unless...You want me adjust her brain meats so she forgets it all?" he asked, looking to the side and smiling a bit at his own idea. "Heh heh." He couldn't help but let out a small amused laugh at the thought.

Dib, however, just looked up at Zim with wide eyes. "You'd never capture her long enough to do that...But if she does tell him, I'll be screwed and dad with probably send me to live in some asylum and...and..." His panicking began to grow into small sobs as he sank down in the covers and it became harder for him to speak.

Shaking his head again, Zim rubbed a hand on Dib's back. "Nonsense, you're just jumping to insane conclusions and getting yourself all worked up again...You forget that you have Zim to protect you now. Besides, your scary sibling won't say anything to your dad without knowing it will benefit her somehow...Trust me. I know how an evil mind works." He said with a small smirk to the boy.

Clinging to Zim's front again, Dib wiped his eyes off on the Irken's uniform top. "But what if she tells him just to get back at me for something I might have done in the past to her?!" He said, all sorts of memories of things he'd done to Gaz in the past coming to mind.

Expression saddening a bit, Zim hugged him closely. "No...I don't think she will...She can't. Not when you already have enough to deal with." He tried to reassure the other of this as he began rocking a bit in an attempt to soothe the frazzled human.

Until next time~


	56. Chapter 56

Dib Is Sick Chapter 56: Confession

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Calming slightly when Zim began to rock him a bit, Dib sniffled wetly before merely wrapping his arms around Zim and hiding his face even more in the other's chest. "Like she cares what I have to deal with right now! Her goal in life has been the same as everybody else's: to make my life miserable!" He exclaimed, feeling himself losing it again.

Zim sighed. "Well, it's not my goal, Dib." He said, not wanting the other to feel alone in all this.

Dib remained silent for a few moments. "Well, it used to be..." He said in a quiet voice.

Zim frowned a bit. "I was just trying to stop you from foiling my plans of world conquest and exposing me." He argued back, not liking the fact Dib was lumping him in with everybody else who ever treated him like dirt.

"But I wasn't always out to stop and expose you! I was...I was just..." Dib sent Zim a wide-eyed, almost panicked look.

Zim looked at the other confused for a moment. "Hmm, what? It's not like I care that you were, Dib." He said, convinced the other was just trying to cover up his own past actions towards him.

Dib shook his head. "No! I wasn't! It was just because...Because I didn't want you to leave Earth, okay?! I didn't want you to finish your mission because if you had, you would have left Earth and I never would have seen you again! I never intentionally meant to ruin your life by screwing over your mission, but now it's too late to fix things and it's all my fault...Because you can never leave Earth and go home now..." His voice fell from shouting to almost a whisper as he realized in that moment that his intentions were no better than his past actions had been.

Zim stared at Dib wide-eyed. "What? But...But how could you have wanted me to stay here at all back then?" He asked, rather shocked by Dib's confession to him.

Dib looked back up at Zim. "I-It's because you were my proof...Not my proof that alien life did exist out in space, b-but my proof that I was sane...E-Even if nobody else believed me..." He looked away from the other as he realized how selfish that statement sounded.

"Oh...Well, that makes sense, I guess...But you shouldn't think yourself as insane just because the rest of your race are a bunch of drooling morons...No offense."

"N-None taken...B-But it wasn't just because of them. Before you came, I-I was beginning to question myself too...I-I thought that maybe my beliefs really were insane and I just hadn't realized it yet...B-But then you walked into my classroom that day and...and...I don't know...I thought that maybe I was just seeing things...You know...Hallucinating or something..."

"Hmm..." Zim looked to the side in thought for a moment. "I did always wonder how you saw through my ingenious disguise." He uttered quietly to himself before looking back at him quickly. "Ahem...I mean, you shouldn't keep putting yourself down, just because... Everyone around you does...Besides..." He sent him a small smile. "I'm your proof that they're all wrong, right?" He reached out to place a hand over Dib's in a reassuring manner.

Looking back up at Zim, Dib nodded his head slightly. "Not that they'll ever know that though..." He sighed and nuzzled his face back into Zim's chest before peering back up at the other, his fingers twitching before reaching up to play around with Zim's wig a bit.

Just letting him continue what he was doing, Zim looked down at the other curiously.

Dib frowned. "I wish you didn't have to wear this all the time. You look better without it." He said, letting go of the wig to bring his hand back to his chest. "And I enjoy being with the real you a whole lot more..." He added in at the end before closing his eyes.

Hugging Dib, Zim nuzzled against him affectionately. "Yeah...I hate wearing this too." He said before pulling away a little and smiling as an idea hit him. Bringing up one of the blankets from behind Dib, he then put it over the both of them so they were hidden completely underneath it. "I don't have to wear it if no-one can see us." He smirked and leaned nearer to Dib.

Clinging to Zim when he felt the other suddenly pull him up close to his chest so he could lay back on the bed with him on top, Dib smiled down at the Irken when he reached up to remove his wig. Leaning down, he then pressed his forehead to Zim's.

Smiling up at the other, Zim leaned himself up briefly to give Dib a quick peck on the lips before smiling up at him again and flicking forward one of his antennas to brush against the side of Dib's face, flicking it back a moment or so after.

Nuzzling his own small kiss to Zim's lips, Dib pulled the Irken's bottom lip into his mouth for a split second to give a small suckle before releasing it so he could drag his lips down to the alien's neck.

A slight blush forming across his cheeks from Dib's actions, Zim closed his eyes and hummed out a small contented sigh as he ran his hands gently up Dib's sides.

His body shuddering at Zim's touch, Dib inhaled slowly but sharply before letting his eyes slip closed in a small show of pleasure. "Mmmmm..." He sounded out as the other massaged some of the pain out of his already aching body.

Pressing a hand to Dib's cheek to lightly push him back so he was staring down over him again, Zim leaned up slightly to run his tongue over Dib's lips before pressing up into a kiss.

Opening his eyes to stare down at the other, Dib moved his lips gently against Zim's, his fingers twitching somewhat as he felt the urge to reach one of his hands up to stroke back one of Zim's antennae affectionately.

Running his hand up into Dib's hair, Zim pushed his tongue into the other's mouth and wrapped it around Dib's tongue before dragging it down again.

Finally reaching up a hand to trace his fingers along one of the thin appendages, Dib closed his eyes again and sighed into the kiss, having missed the feel of Zim's lips against his own.

Until next time~


	57. Chapter 57

Dib Is Sick Chapter 57: Comfortable

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut and inhaling in sharply when Dib's fingers found their way to his antennae, Zim squirmed a bit in his spot before relaxing again and exhaling out slowly, all the while suckling on Dib's bottom lip, having also missed the feel of the human's mouth pressed against his own.

Resting his forehead against Zim's tiredly, Dib then exhaled out softly as his fingers massaging Zim's antennae twitched slightly against the sensitive stalks.

Enjoying all the attention his antennae were receiving, Zim could only breathe out against the side of Dib's mouth in that moment before peeking his eyes open a bit and running his tongue up the side of Dib's face. Pulling away and smiling up at him lazily, he then moved his hands back down the human's sides gently.

Dib let his movements slow as he smiled back down at the other before finally letting his head come to rest on the Irken's chest, his eyes closing as he felt himself drifting back off to sleep and his fingers still working on the alien's antennae gently. "I love you..." He stroked Zim's antennae up and down with his free hand as his other hand came to rest right next to his head so he could grip the other's uniform top tightly.

Zim blinked his eyes closed again, turning his head to one side slightly while breathing out heavily against the boy's scythe lock. Peeking an eye open after a moment, he then brought a hand up to run over Dib's hair. "I love...you too..." He said between soft pants as his mind swam in a sea of pleasure, courtesy of all Dib's antennae rubbing.

Dib smiled even more at the other's response before kissing his chest gently. "Can we just...Stay like this for a while?" He asked, too comfortable to want to move away any time soon.

"...Mmmm..." Zim just reclosed his eyes again and nodded his head slowly, playing around with Dib's hair gently all the while.

Finally drifting back off to sleep happily, his hand on Zim's antennae continuing its stroking motions a few minutes longer, Dib then finally came to a stop as he breathed peacefully against the other's chest.

His own breathing becoming more natural as Dib stopped stroking his antennae, Zim felt his hand movement on Dib's hair lessening also as he began to drift off too.

Shifting about underneath the covers to get more comfortable, Dib curled up against Zim.

Wrapping his arms around the other, Zim then finally fell off to sleep himself.

It wasn't until at least a few hours later that Dib blinked his eyes open to look about the room, the clock over the door reading close to 5:00pm. Attempting to sit up, he then came to realize Zim still had him tightly secured to his chest. "Hm?" He stared down at the Irken before noticing they were no longer under the covers. "Oh crap!" He grabbed one of the blankets and pulled it up over the both of them, praying to God nobody had walked in and seen Zim without his disguise on while they were sleeping.

Zim let out a small whine at all the shifting about before hugging Dib closer to himself once the covers were back over them and nuzzling against him comfortably. "Mmm..." He sounded out contently.

Blushing at the small nuzzle, Dib didn't attempt to pull away again, already knowing what the consequences might be were he to try that stunt again.

Wrapping his legs up around Dib and curling in on himself a bit, Zim buried his face in Dib's neck before becoming still again.

Carefully shifting himself to a more comfortable position, Dib tried not to disturb Zim too much as he rested his head on the pillow just to bring a hand up to play with Zim's antennas a bit again.

Zim shifted a little bit and squeezed his eyes tightly shut at the feel of Dib's hand on his antennas. "Mmm..." He sounded out again before relaxing slightly, nuzzling his face against Dib's neck.

With his chin resting against the top of Zim's head, Dib gave one of the Irken's antennas a small affectionate lick with his tongue.

Gripping onto Dib's hospital gown tightly, Zim turned his head to the side a little in his sleep.

Smiling to himself at Zim's reaction, Dib then leaned forward a bit to pull one of the tips into his mouth to suckle on gently, closing his eyes and enjoying the sweet honey-like taste that graced his taste buds.

Zim let out another small whine, squirming about a little bit and scrunching up his face for a short moment until he became completely still again. "Mmm…" He hugged Dib tightly to himself and breathed out heavily against him.

Slowly flicking the tip of his tongue against the very tip of Zim's antennae, Dib lapped up what sweet taste he could get at from it.

"Mmph…Mmm…" Zim buried his face into Dib's neck and started licking at it affectionately, still clinging to him tightly.

Dib felt his face flush at the sudden licking action on his neck and blinked, stopping his own licking as his body responded by shuddering in Zim's grip. "Mmmm..." He sounded out, letting his eyes slip back closed after a moment or two to continue his own licking though much slower this time, grazing his teeth gently along the thin appendage in his mouth.

After giving Dib a few more licks to the neck, Zim peeked his eyes open a little and looked up at the other lazily as he started to wake up, blushing considerably as all Dib's attentions were beginning to get to him.

Until next time~


	58. Chapter 58

Dib Is Sick Chapter 58: Control

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Blinking his own eyes open when the gentle licks Zim had been giving his neck stopped suddenly, Dib shifted his gaze down to the now awake Irken just to let the thin antenna slip from his mouth, his own cheeks flushing a light pink before he tucked his head down to try and hide his face from the other against the Irken's own head.

Zim hummed out a sigh and re-closed his eyes, moving his hand to locate Dib's hand and nuzzle his cheek against it. "Why'd you stop?" He asked in a small whine.

Dib lifted his head slightly to peek down at the other at the gentle nuzzle to his hand. "Y-You want me to continue?" His fingers twitched slightly against the others cheek.

Zim nodded his head. "Mmhmm...Only if you want to though." He continued to nuzzle his hand softly.

Blush deepening, Dib then slowly leaned forward to take the antenna he hadn't been suckling on earlier into his mouth.

"Mmm..." Zim slipped one of Dib's fingers into his own mouth and sucked on it a little before wrapping his tongue around it.

His knees shaking slightly as the feel of the Irken's tongue wrapping around his finger brought back memories of that same tongue wrapping around a certain other appendage on his body a few days earlier, Dib's face lit up a bright red at the others actions before he curled his knees up to himself a bit and tried to take his mind off of that moment in time, rather concentrating on running his tongue up the length of the others antenna to the very tip so he could flick it with his tongue a few more times.

Zim stopped what he was doing for a short moment to breathe out heavily. "...Mmm...Dib..." He squeezed his legs around the other tighter and latched his mouth back onto his finger again, moving his tongue against it.

Stopping his licking for a split second, Dib tensed up before squirming about in Zim's grip when he felt the others hips pressing against his own.

Peeking his eyes open and pulling the others finger from his mouth at all Dib's squirming, Zim stared up at him blushing and released his grip a little.

Pulling away slightly when he got the chance to, Dib stared down at Zim with wide eyes and a bright red blush on his face, hoping the other hadn't noticed his slight arousal.

Eyes widening as well from Dib's expression, scared that he may have upset him again, Zim shifted his view away from the other and brought up a hand to fiddle with the front of Dib's gown, pouting a bit and blushing deeply.

Dib shifted his own gaze away from the other when he saw the look on Zim's face, fidgeting a bit and flushing a deep, deep red now. "S-Sorry! I...I uhm..." He pulled his knees up even more in embarrassment, just knowing that the other must have noticed.

Zim looked back up at Dib a bit surprised. "Hmm? Sorry about what, Dib?" He brought up his hand to press gently to Dib's cheek.

Dib tensed suddenly, his eyes wide as he shifted his gaze back down to Zim. "Y-You didn't...You didn't notice?" He asked, surprised now as he could have sworn it would have been obvious for the other to pick up on.

Zim frowned up at him a bit in confusion for a moment. "Notice wha-..." He began to ask before realizing what he was getting at and blushing suddenly again. "Oh! You mean-...Ehem, well yes." He answered in a quiet whisper, looking away momentarily.

Dib let out a small whine and hid his face in his hands, so horribly embarrassed now. "I-I'm just not used to anybody sucking on my fingers like that, okay?!" He said defensively.

Zim's eyes grew wide. "Oh, then...Uhmm... Zim won't do it again, if you don't like it." He sank down a bit before looking up at Dib apologetically.

Dib remained hiding in his hands, not wanting the other to see his face. "I didn't think that this would happen to me..." He said, horribly embarrassed now about how his body had reacted.

Zim frowned up at him again. "Hmm?" he pulled on one of Dib's hands so he could see his face. "What's wrong?" He then asked, not seeing what the big deal was given the activities they had already partaken in earlier with each other.

Dib tried to pull away a bit, his eyes squeezed tightly shut. "I can't help it anymore, and it's because everything makes me think about what we did the other day!" He curled in on himself a bit. "I've tried to stop thinking about it, but every time I see or feel your tongue, it just reminds me even more of...of well...well, you know! And I didn't have this problem up until just a few days ago!" He then exploded on the other, not liking the lack of control he had over his mind and body now.

"Oh...Heh, that...So, you don't want to think about it... Because you didn't like that either?" Zim rubbed the top of his head and stared back up at him a bit blankly.

"I-It's not that I didn't like it..." Dib flushed even more. "I-I just can't get the image out of my head, and because of that, e-everything about you gets me excited...B-But I can't help it! I've never had so many problems with this before!" He then exclaimed, all these feelings and urges new to him for the most part.

"Really?!..." Zim looked over at Dib's chest. "So...Do you want Zim to do it again?" He then peeked back up at Dib, blushing a little.

Dib clutched the covers tightly, unable to believe what Zim was asking him. "Wha-What?!" he sat up in the bed a bit and peeked out from under the covers to look around the room before pulling them back over himself, blushing insanely now. "R-Right now?" He gestured to the bed, a part of him thinking the other must be joking with that offer.

Until next time~


	59. Chapter 59

Dib Is Sick Chapter 59: Sneaky

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M for later chapters

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Blushing an even darker shade of green at Dib's reaction, Zim just nodded his head in response to the others question. "Do...Do you want to?" He asked again, a part of him beginning to think that perhaps it was stupid of him to ask.

"I-I don't know how that's going to help me...I-In fact, I think that would just make things worse...B-But if you really want to...I...I guess...D-Do you think it would be alright, o-or would it be better to wait until we're not in a place where someone may walk in on us?"

Zim frowned and lightly poked him in the chest. "You didn't answer my question. Do YOU want to?" He asked one last time, just wanting a yes or no from the other.

"I...I, uhm...W-Well...I-It might help my...my, uhm..."little problem" for the moment if you did...B-But I'm not so sure it would be such a good idea doing it here in a hospital room where a doctor or nurse may walk in at any moment and catch us..."

Zim smiled a little at that. "Well then…Let's go somewhere quiet, where no-one will walk in." He sat himself up and put back on his disguise before hopping off the bed.

Dib peeked out from under the bed again to look first at Zim then around the room. "A-Are we allowed to do that?" he asked, not 100% certain himself whether leaving his room to walk around was permitted by the hospital staff.

Zim shrugged. "I dunno, but we'll be back before anyone notices, and if anyone does, then...We'll tell them you had toilet business to attend to or something." He held out a hand for Dib to take. "Do you think you can walk? Or do you want me to carry you?" He then asked, knowing Dib had been a little unstable as of late.

Dib sat up slowly in the bed, giving the room a good look over again. "I-I think I can walk for now...B-But...Wh-Where do you plan on taking me then?" He asked, not knowing where the other had in mind to take him that was private in this place.

"Well, there has to be a basement in this building. I know there's an elevator not far from this room that will probably take us there...We just have to be sneaky." Zim offered his hand to Dib again.

Blushing, Dib hesitantly took Zim's hand before getting to his feet and allowing the Irken to lead him over towards the door to the room. He then whispered to the other. "I just hope we don't get caught...For all we know, the elevator may already have people in it...And if it makes a stop on one of the other floors and a doctor or nurse gets on, then we'll be screwed." He said, starting to have second thoughts about this plan.

Zim turned to smile at Dib again. "Heh heh, yeah...It's risky, but oh well. C'mon." He held a blanket in his other arm before opening the door a tiny bit to peek out and check no-one was around. Then, cautiously leading Dib out of the room, he closed the door behind them.

Practically clinging to the others uniform top as they made their way down the hallway towards where the front desk and elevators were, Dib remained as close as possible to Zim as he could. "Do you think we can get past the front desk without one of the nurses seeing us?" He whispered into Zim's antennae as quietly as he could.

"Yes! I am Zim!" Zim peeked out at the front desk, a receptionist there as well as a few nurses. "Hmm..." He then reached into his PAK and threw a roundish object out into the opposite end of the room, the object making a loud bang once it collided with the floor and emitting smoke at the same time, drawing everyone's attention over to it. "Let's go." He pulled Dib by the wrist and dashed past the reception area into an elevator.

Jumping at the loud bang noise himself and the sudden yank as he was pulled into an elevator by Zim, Dib noticed just as the elevator doors were closing that the patients, visitors, nurses, and receptionist were all in a panic now about what had just happened.

Zim giggled and jabbed a finger on the button labeled B. "I'm a genius!" He then proclaimed as the elevator began taking them downwards.

Sending Zim an annoyed look, Dib then rolled his eyes.

Waiting as the elevator lowered them down to the basement floor, hoping that it wouldn't stop on any of the other floors to allow anyone else in, Zim sighed out in some relief once it stopped on the intended floor and the doors opened, allowing him to lead Dib out while looking around carefully.

Dib stepped out into the somewhat dark room with Zim, jumping when he heard the elevator heading back up without them. "Uhm...I-It's kind of dark in here, don't you think?" He pointed out before looking about the place, hardly able to see anything in the dark environment.

"Yeah...I don't think anyone will come down here...But just to make sure-" Zim led Dib further into the room until he finally located a small, empty equipment room and opened it to have a quick peek inside before turning back to Dib. "In here?" He suggested, wanting to make sure the other was okay with that before they started anything.

Dib blushed again. "Wh-Wherever you're more comfortable..." He said, not really caring either way just so long as nobody came across them down there.

Zim just stared back at him for a moment before then sending him a small smile. "In here then." He took him by the hand again and led him into the room so he could close the door behind them. Laying the blanket down, he then sat the both of them on the floor before giving Dib a small lick on the cheek. "You're sure you want to do this?" He then asked one last time to make sure.

Dib's blush deepened at the small lick and Zim's question. "W-Well...W-We risked coming all the way down here to do it, didn't we?" He gripped the blanket they were sitting on tightly as his earlier arousal hadn't really left him yet.

Looking back at him and guessing that meant yes, Zim nodded his head slightly before blushing a bit and leaning in slowly to press his lips up against Dib's.

Letting his own eyes slip closed as Zim moved his lips gently against his own, Dib leaned in closer to him as he fidgeted slightly in his spot, unsure what to expect from the other.

Bringing up his arms to wrap around Dib, Zim then pulled him in closer as he pushed into the kiss more, slipping his tongue into Dib's mouth.

Until next time~


	60. Chapter 60

A/N: Alright. So here's the deal, you guys. This next chapter IS indeed an 18+ chapter. So, if you'd like to read the adult version, please either look it up on DA OR find the link to the FA version in my profile. YES, you do need an account to access the chapter on these sites. And YES, you do need to be 18 or older in order to view the content of these chapters. (Also keep in mind that you may have to adjust your mature content settings on FA before you'll be able to see the chapter.)

Things I will NOT do:

Post the full sex scene here on FF.

Send the chapter in a PM to anybody who asks me.

Kindly refrain from sending me any messages about how some people get away with posting sexual content here on FF. The bottom line is, sexual content is NOT allowed here on FF. Regardless of whether people get away with it or not, that does not make everybody immune to having their stories removed. I have had stories removed in the past and I refuse to put myself in such a situation with this story. After all, it only takes one report to have a story completely removed from this site. So please bear that in mind before you decide to all come harassing me about it.

Don't believe me about FF's rules on sexual content? Then please see my Chapter 25 A/N for a more detailed run-through of this site's rules and regulations. I'm serious, you guys. Please no messages about my decision not to post the full sex scene here. I am tired to going over this every time I post a chapter with sexual content in it. I would really appreciate it if you guys would try to see where I'm coming from in all this and just respect my decision not to post that sort of content here on FF.

That said, I hope you guys otherwise enjoy this carefully edited version of Chapter 60. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 60: Relief

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Allowing Zim to take control of the situation, Dib inhaled sharply through the kiss as said Irken pressed his body flush against Dib's, taking a seat in his lap.

Wrapping his long, thin tongue around Dib's larger, fleshy one, Zim then moved it against Dib's before bringing a hand up to run over Dib's chest.

"Mmmm..." Dib brought one of his hands up to grip Zim's shoulder tightly.

Dragging his lips over Dib's cheek and down to his neck, Zim licked the skin there while slipping a hand under his gown and running it up to his chest.

That gown being the only piece of clothing he had on at the moment due to the nurse taking his pajamas away earlier, Dib's eyes widened at the hand slipping under the rim of his hospital gown to get at his chest before gasping when he felt teeth nibbling at his neck, causing his face to flush a deep red.

Sucking at the skin on Dib's neck and lightly grazing his teeth against it, Zim ran a finger around Dib's nipple before lowering his hand down the boy's chest a little.

The nubs on his chest hardening at the sensation, Dib panted out heavily when he felt Zim dragging a clawed finger lightly around his nipple.

Running a finger lightly over one of the hardened nipples, Zim then lowered his hand down further and pressed it to Dib's stomach, rubbing his thumb softly there while breathing warm air against the human's neck.

Dib's breath caught in the back of his throat at how low Zim's hand had fallen.

*Sex Scene Starts Here. See Link In Profile For Full Version*

And there you have it for the edited version of Chapter 60. Sorry to those of you who can't read any farther. Rules are rules though. And before anybody asks, the following chapter will ALSO be containing some sexual content in it as well. So the story will pick up as normal after Chapter 61 has been posted. Please bear with me until then. Until next time~


	61. Chapter 61

A/N: Alright. So here's the deal, you guys. This next chapter IS indeed an 18+ chapter. So, if you'd like to read the adult version, please either look it up on DA OR find the link to the FA version in my profile. YES, you do need an account to access the chapter on these sites. And YES, you do need to be 18 or older in order to view the content of these chapters. (Also keep in mind that you may have to adjust your mature content settings on FA before you'll be able to see the chapter.)

Things I will NOT do:

Post the full sex scene here on FF.

Send the chapter in a PM to anybody who asks me.

Kindly refrain from sending me any messages about how some people get away with posting sexual content here on FF. The bottom line is, sexual content is NOT allowed here on FF. Regardless of whether people get away with it or not, that does not make everybody immune to having their stories removed. I have had stories removed in the past and I refuse to put myself in such a situation with this story. After all, it only takes one report to have a story completely removed from this site. So please bear that in mind before you decide to all come harassing me about it.

Don't believe me about FF's rules on sexual content? Then please see my Chapter 25 A/N for a more detailed run-through of this site's rules and regulations. I'm serious, you guys. Please no messages about my decision not to post the full sex scene here. I am tired to going over this every time I post a chapter with sexual content in it. I would really appreciate it if you guys would try to see where I'm coming from in all this and just respect my decision not to post that sort of content here on FF.

That said, I hope you guys otherwise enjoy this carefully edited version of Chapter 61. =3

Dib Is Sick Chapter 61: Returning The Favor

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

His legs shaking slightly as the waves of pleasure slowly began to dissipate, Dib laid panting on the ground for several long moments, unable to move. Sighing out heavily, he then blushed insanely, thankful that at least his "little problem" was gone for the time being.

Blushing for a moment himself, Zim stared down at Dib before bringing up a hand to lower his gown back over him and carefully lay himself down on top him.

Suddenly feeling so horribly worn out as he slowly began to doze off a bit, Dib let his eyes slip closed.

Trying to do the same for a moment, Zim let out a small whine before peeking his eyes open again and squirming around a bit, unable to relax.

Dib let out a whine of his own before forcing his eyes open partway to look up at Zim. "Are you alright?" he asked when the other wouldn't settle.

Looking up at Dib and blushing insanely, Zim then curled in on himself slightly and lifted his hips up off the other a bit. "Y-Yes, Zim is…fine." he lied, not wanting the boy to know how uncomfortable he actually was.

Dib continued panting out in the quiet room. "Liar...You don't...You don't look fine to me..." he said between heavy breaths as he was still having trouble actually catching his breath in that moment.

Pouting and blushing even more at those words, Zim moved onto his side next to the other, squeezing his legs together and hugging his knees to his chest as he buried his face into the others neck.

Dib merely blinked at the others reaction to his words before giving the Irken a slight shake. "Ziiiiim...C'mooooon...Tell me what's wrooooong..." he hassled the alien to tell him what was bothering him.

Still blushing madly, Zim looked up at him before squeezing his eyes tightly shut and shaking his head. "Rghh! Nothiiing..." he said again before peeking one eye open at him and looking off to the side awkwardly. "I just...feel a bit...f-funny... after doing that." he then said, not knowing how better to explain what was bothering him in that moment.

Dib stared at Zim confused. "F-Funny? Funny how? Like, funny in a bad way? D-Did I overstep my boundaries by having you do that?" he asked, suddenly regretting having agreed to come down here.

Zim's eyes widened a bit before he shook his head quickly. "No, no! Not really in a bad way...And no, you didn't...What I meant was...uhm... How you felt earlier...in the hospital bed...before we...came down here…" he said his last few sentences quietly, wincing a little as he said them.

Dib continued to stare at Zim confused for a few long moments before the realization of what the other was getting at dawned on him. "O-Oh! Y-You mean, you got e-excited too then..." he blushed a deep red, looking down at the floor shyly before lifting his gaze up to look at Zim again. "D-Do you want me to d-do the same thing you d-did for me?" he then asked, feeling bad now that he had gotten the other excited in the midst of relieving his own earlier arousal.

Face on fire, Zim looked at Dib completely wide eyed. "Uh...Well...Y-You don't have to... just because... Zim did." he said, not feeling right asking Dib to do that for him.

Dib blushed even more. "I-I wouldn't mind i-if you really wanted m-me to though..." he said, knowing he was to blame for the others arousal in the first place.

Staring back at him for a moment before looking off to the side again and slowly nodding his head, Zim then glanced back up at the boy and gave him a small lick on the cheek as thanks for what he was about to do.

Dib nodded his own head. "A-Alright..." he leaned forward slowly to press his lips to Zim's gently.

Eyes falling half-lidded at the gentle kiss, Zim pressed into the kiss a little more and suckled at Dib's bottom lip.

Letting his own eyelids fall half-lidded as he inhaled deeply, Dib then sighed out gently against the others lips. "Mmmmm..." he scooted in closer, bringing one of his hands up to take Zim by the shoulder so he could give him a light shove to a more reclined position as he went ahead and took a seat in the Irken's lap.

Blinking his eyes open to look up at the other and blushing again, Zim rubbed his hands lightly at Dib's sides as he stared up at him, letting him take control of the situation.

*Sex Scene Starts Here. See Link In Profile For Full Version*

Burying his face into Dib's neck and sighing, Zim laid there panting underneath him with his eyes closed tightly before he peeked them open a little to stare back up at Dib for a moment and hug him in closely. "Mmmm..." he nuzzled the boy comfortably, not wanting to even think about moving from that spot.

Resting against the Irken comfortably and closing his eyes lazily, the need for sleep hitting him full force now, Dib allowed Zim to pull him in closer. "I don't think I can move..." he said, his entire body suddenly feeling paralyzed.

"Mmph..." Zim just nuzzled against him sleepily.

Peeking his eyes open one last time before blinking them closed, Dib then dozed off in the others arms.

Hugging him closely, Zim then fell into his own deep sleep almost as quickly as Dib had.

And there you have it for the edited version of Chapter 61. Sorry to those of you who can't read any farther. Rules are rules though. And before anybody asks, the following chapter will pick up as normal after this point. That being said, we hope you all enjoyed. Until next time~

(Note: An additional A/N concerning the continuation of ZADR Orange will be included in the beginning of the following chapter. So please take the time to read it, those of you who are keeping up with that story as well. Thanks for your patience in the meantime, you guys!)


	62. Chapter 62

A/N: As mentioned at the end of the last chapter posted for this story, I have an announcement to make concerning the continuation of another one of my stories on here, "ZADR Orange." For those of you already reading said story, I highly recommend you read this update. Those of you NOT reading it however, please feel free to just ignore this announcement.

As some of you may already know, I've stopped making my story, "ZADR Orange", available to the general public on here. Likewise, I am also no longer making it available to the general public over on DA either. I HAVE however implemented a new submission process for that story that you can all read about on my most recent chapter of ZO. For those of you who haven't seen the updated A/N there, please take the time to go back and read it at the beginning of Chapter 151. I edited the chapter after posting it the first time to add in an updated A/N. I don't think FF notified my readers of this change however. So if you read the chapter BEFORE the edit to my A/N was made, please be sure you go back and read the NEW A/N at the beginning of the chapter. No further chapters of said story will be posted here on FF any longer. So for those of you who would like to continue reading, you'll have to follow the instructions outlined in my Chapter 151 update.

Why, you ask? Well, let's just say it's for the same reason I almost stopped updating my stories altogether last year: more fandom drama. I'm giving my readers a final chance though, so please don't blow it, you guys. I already had to deal with a hate account being made about me this past month by a jealous ex-fan of mine. It would be great if those of you actually serious about following my work would show your support by joining my ZO mailing list (which is touched upon in more detail in the chapter 151 A/N). I really don't want to have to do the same with this story, but I suppose it all depends on how this story is received by you guys: the public. DIS will also be moved to a private mailing list should the trolling here on FF continue.

That being said, please enjoy the continuation of "Dib Is Sick" now. And thanks once again for your patience, you guys. I really appreciate the fact that none of you were badgering me to update quicker. I've been dealing with a busy couple of months lately and haven't had much time for updating. So your patience is greatly appreciated.

Dib Is Sick Chapter 62: Caught Red-Handed

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

His body shivering from how cold it had gotten in the room, it wasn't until at least a few hours later that Dib shifted in his sleep uncomfortably, trying to conserve what body heat he could.

Letting out a small whine and hugging Dib closely, Zim blinked his eyes open momentarily before closing them yet again, only a short moment passing before his eyes snapped wide open again and he jolted in his spot, remembering that they'd fallen asleep in the basement. He gave Dib a shake on the shoulder. "Dib, wake up!" He said in a small, panicked voice.

Letting out his own small whine, Dib shuddered in Zim's arms, his teeth chattering.

Zim shook him again. "Augh…Come on, Diiib! Wake up already and get off of Ziiiim!" He said frantically before noticing the other shivering on top of him. "...Dib...?" He then said the others name when he didn't wake up right away.

His entire body having broken into shivers now, Dib shifted his eyes open after a moment or two. "I-It's freezing in h-here..." He said as he couldn't seem to get warm for the life of him.

"Oh...You've been on top of me, so I didn't notice...Ehm…Put the blanket around yourself or something...But you're going to have to get off of me first."

Managing to push himself up enough to get off of Zim before lowering himself slowly back down onto the ground and curling up, Dib grabbed at part of the blanket before yanking it over himself.

Scooting back some and looking over himself and what he was currently covered in, Zim frowned before making a small grunt noise as he reached into his PAK and pulled out his cleansing chalk to give himself a quick scrub over, only pulling up his pants once he was clean.

Peeking his eyes back open to stare up at Zim, Dib blushed in a bit of embarrassment. "S-sorry about th-that..." He apologized between shaky breaths.

"Hmm? Oh, it's...okay." Zim coughed. "... Do you need to use it?" He then held the cleansing chalk out to him.

"U-Uhm..." Dib pulled the blanket up over himself completely to check for himself before peeking out from underneath it a few moments later, his face a bright red. "Y-Yes…" He took the cleansing chalk from Zim so he could clean off the mess of either his cum or Zim's from his hospital gown.

Zim turned his head to the side, blushing a little as the other cleaned himself off. "So...Uhm...How long do you think we've been down here?" He asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Dib tensed slightly at the question. "Judging by the temperature down here...long enough for them to have noticed that we're both gone..." He said, just knowing they must have been down there longer than they had originally planned to be.

Zim turned back to him. "Oh..." He stood and held out a hand to help him up. "Come on. Let's get out of here." He said, still hopeful they could sneak back to the room without anyone noticing.

The blanket draped about him as he swayed slightly, Dib took Zim's hand and pushed himself up onto his feet before clinging onto Zim's arm for support. "Wh-What are we going t-to tell them wh-when they ask where we've b-been all this time?" He asked, not so certain their original excuse for being gone so long would work.

Zim shrugged nonchalantly, all the while helping Dib to stay steady as best he could. "I don't know, but ah well...I'll come up with something." He said as he led him out of the room and toward the elevator.

Dib remained close to Zim, looking about the basement one last time before stepping into the elevator with Zim. "I-I don't think they'll believe that I spent the last 3 or 4 hours in the bathroom, even if I did tell them I was suffering from a severe case of indigestion or something along those lines." He said, trying to think of what else they could use as an excuse for their absence.

"Eh...Well, maybe say you wanted to walk around outside for a while. You were sick of being in that room or something...Was it really four hours?" Zim pressed the button for the floor they needed before waiting for the elevator to take them up.

"W-Well, I'm assuming it might have been that long...I-I don't think the temperature would have dropped so suddenly unless it had been at least a few hours."

"Hmm...It didn't feel like that long. I guess time flies when you're...Uh...Never mind." Zim said as the elevator pinged once it had stopped on the floor they needed. Looking around carefully, he then led Dib out of it to head back towards the room.

Dib blushed at Zim's words before attempting to change the subject to something else again. "W-Well, we fell asleep too and who knows how long we could have been out then." He reminded the other, knowing their sexual encounters couldn't have lasted more than an hour at most.

"Oh yes, and that." Zim hurriedly sped past the reception area with Dib, almost making it back to the room until one of the nurses came storming up to them. "... Great..." He said under his breath once he realized they had been caught.

"Where on earth have you two been?!" The nurse grabbed hold of Dib's arm firmly so as to keep him from wandering off again.

Letting out a small, pained yelp at the rough treatment, Dib tried to pull away to hide behind Zim.

"You two had our entire medical staff worried sick! We've been looking all over for you for over an hour now!" the nurse started leading them back in the direction of the room. "Why, I've half a mind to station someone in your room to monitor you for the rest of your stay here!" She then noticed a few of the other nurses still running about looking for them down the hall from their room. "False alarm! I've found them!" She called out to them before turning her glare back on them. "So where have you been this entire time?! And don't you even think about lying to me!" She said in a scolding tone, as though she were a mother about to punish her child.

Zim scowled up at her. "We just went to go outside! Dib was sick of being stuck in that room all the time, so we went to go walk around for a while!" He blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

The nurse turned her glare even more on Zim now. "And what made you think it was alright to just leave without telling somebody first?! Especially considering you were already on thin ice with me before about the whole dislocating Dib's shoulder thing! We'll be lucky if Dib's father doesn't decide to sue us over this!" She exclaimed, having been forced to contact the professor about Dib's disappearance once they'd realized the boy was gone.

And there you have it for Chapter 62. Until next time~


	63. Chapter 63

Dib Is Sick Chapter 63: ICU

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Tempted to shout out something that could get them into even worse trouble, Zim just frowned morosely at the wall, biting down on his lip to keep himself in check as they arrived at the room they had been in earlier.

Shaking her head and making a loud irritated noise, the nurse pulled Dib back over to the bed.

Wanting to stay close to Zim, Dib struggled slightly but inevitably got pulled away from the other to be placed back in the bed.

Once she had finished putting Dib back into bed, the nurse turned on Zim again. "Pull anymore stunts like that while you're here and I won't allow you to stay with Dib, even if his father DOES give you permission to stay. Now, I need to make a phone call to Dib's father and let him know we found you two. While I'm gone, I want you two to stay put and don't cause any more trouble." She said before going to head for the door.

Zim just continued glaring off to the side with his arms folded until she finally left, his eye twitching. "RRGH! I swear, if I were still destroying this FILTH ball of a planet, she would be the FIRST to go!...Hideous filthy hyyuman..." He spat in an all too irritated manner.

Just staring at Zim through half-lidded eyes before pulling his knees to his chest and letting out a small uncomfortable noise, Dib rested his head on his knees.

Zim looked over at Dib before walking over to the side of the bed. "Uh, you okay?" He asked when he realized how pale the other had suddenly become.

Without any warning at all, Dib became ill right then and there, the sheets becoming covered with blood as Dib coughed into his hands uncontrollably.

"AH!" Zim jumped in a bit of shock. "Dib!?" He looked around the room frantically, wondering what he should do before his eyes then locked directly onto the call button.

Dib desperately gasped for breath. "I-I can't b-breath..." His voice came out strained as he saw the edges of his vision beginning to go dark.

Starting to panic now, Zim jabbed a hand on the call button and looked at the door rather desperately, waiting for someone to come in.

"Z-Zim...I'm going to..." Dib saw everything blurring before going completely black on him as he was no longer able to breathe at all.

"No! Dib!" Zim gripped onto his arm. "Dib, please wake up! I don't know what to do!" He shook the other slightly, only panicking more with each and every passing second.

The nurse walked in, still looking irritated. "Yes?" she said before her eyes widened at what she saw.

"He's not breathing!"

The nurse leaned out the doorway and called for more help before rushing over to the side of the bed. "We need a ventilator in here STAT!" She said before she began performing CPR on Dib.

Allowing the nurses to start their work on him, Zim stood back and out of the way, just watching in a panic as more nurses flooded into the room with varying equipment.

Opening Dib's mouth, one of the nurses retrieved a long, flexible-looking plastic tube before allowing the other nurses to help work it down into Dib's trachea, connecting it to a mechanical ventilator so they could get some air flowing into Dib's lungs once the tube was set in place.

Letting a small whimper escape him as he watched all that was going on, Zim cringed a bit at the sight of the tube being shoved down Dib's throat.

"Alright, I want him moved to ICU ASAP. But somebody get him cleaned up first. I need to get a hold of his father and let him know what just happened." The nurse then said before dashing off and leaving the others to clean Dib up quickly while Zim just watched all this looking scared.

Leaving to find Dib another hospital gown, the others all carefully worked to pull his current hospital gown off, starting at his chest and pulling it down to his lap, leaving it there until the other nurse had returned with the new hospital gown. Finally returning with it a few minutes later, the other nurse then helped the others to get it on him before lifting him from the bed to place on a stretcher for transportation to ICU.

Quickly wheeling him into ICU, Zim followed close behind them only to be stopped by one of the other nurses.

The nurse turned to Zim. "Would you like to wait somewhere more comfortable? This can't be pleasant to wa-" She began to say but was quickly interrupted.

Zim pushed her away. "No! I have to stay with him!" He darted off after the other nurses.

Wheeling him into an elevator, Zim just barely caught it before the doors closed. Pressing a button on the wall to take them down a few floors, the elevator then stopped on a lower level and allowed them to wheel Dib into another, smaller room, this time with no windows save for a window showing the outside hallway and a lot more medical equipment packed into the room, surrounding the bed almost completely.

"Alright, let's get him onto the bed. Carefully though."

Lifting him carefully before placing him in the small bed there, the other nurses all placed the covers over him and double checked that everything was set up correctly.

The head nurse turned to another young nurse who looked to be fresh out of medical school. "We're going to need somebody to stay in here with him and monitor his progress. Do you think you can do that?" she asked the newest recruit to their medical staff.

"Y-Yes! I can do that!"

After a moment, the other nurses all left, leaving Zim and the one remaining nurse there to monitor Dib.

Taking one of Dib's hands and gently rubbing a thumb over it in the small hope that he'd just wake up soon, Zim looked up at the nurse briefly before looking back down over Dib again.

It wasn't until about 15 minutes later that Dib felt himself coming back around, though not fully. Blinking his eyes slightly open and looking around the room, he then attempted to call out to Zim just to realize that he couldn't talk and that his throat was really sore. "Mmmmm..." His eyes snapped wide open at the realization that there was a tube down his throat. "Mmm!" He began to panic before pulling his hand from Zim's and attempting to pull the tube out with both of his hands. The nurse in there monitoring him grabbed hold of his hands to try and stop him.

"No! No! Please don't do that! I can't have you taking this out of your throat just yet! Please calm down!"

Dib just continued to struggle against her however, his panic building up even more. "Mmm! MMM!" He tried to speak again so he could get across what he wanted.

Pushing the nurse aside and looking down at him sternly, Zim quickly grabbed hold of Dib's wrists himself. "Dib, stop it! You need that thing in your throat to breathe so it's no good trying to pull it out!" he said before speaking more softly. "Just calm down for me now...Okay?" He tried to get the other to relax so he wouldn't hurt himself in his struggles to remove the tube down his throat.

Still panic stricken, Dib struggled a bit against Zim before slowly calming, little by little, the tears coming yet again as he stared up at the Irken with wide, fearful eyes. "Mmm! Mmm! Mmm..." He made a few final desperate noises through the tube, as though trying to communicate with the other.

Standing in the doorway to the room, the nurse who had called Dib's father knocked on the wall, drawing both Zim's and Dib's attention to her. "I've called his father. He's on his way here right now." She said before walking into the room and approaching Dib. "And one of the nurses found this in the room you were in earlier." She held up the Zim doll from earlier to Dib.

Eyes widening at the sight of it, Dib pulled his wrists from Zim's grip to grab hold of it and hug closely to himself, finally calming almost all the way down.

Standing up straighter after having handed Dib the doll, the nurse then looked back at Zim, giving him a good look over. "Hmmm...That doll looks just like you..." She commented before proceeding to check all Dib's vitals.

Frowning a bit at that remark, Zim mumbled quietly to himself. "But it looks nothing like Zim..." He said before looking up at the nurse again. "Ehem…Yes well, thanks...for bringing that thing, I guess." He said, not the biggest fan of it himself.

Finishing her check of all Dib's readings, the nurse nodded before then turning to leave the three of them alone again.

Zim glanced back down at Dib again. "I don't know why you like that thing so much...But at least it calmed you down." He then said before sending him a small smile and gently running a hand over his hair in a soothing manner.

And there you have it for Chapter 63. Until next time~


	64. Chapter 64

Dib Is Sick Chapter 64: Resemblance

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Looking back up at Zim, then down at the doll, and then back up at Zim again, Dib then held it up to compare the two side by side before looking over at the young nurse in the room with them, as though asking her opinion on it.

The nurse looked at the doll and then Zim. "You know, it really does look a lot like you, except without hair and the eye color is wrong." she tilted her head to the side, giving it a good look over again. "It's kind of cute." She then said before smiling over Dib.

Zim pouted and mumbled to himself quietly again. "...It looks nothing like me... Zim is not cute..." He said under his breath, just loud enough for Dib to hear.

Bringing the doll back to his chest, Dib frowned and sank down in the covers a bit.

Zim looked back at him. "Whaaat!?" He sighed. "Ohhw...Okay...I guess it does look a little bit like me..." He then admitted before glancing back at the doll again to glare at.

Sinking back down into the covers even more, Dib merely blushed at the others words.

Looking at him slightly guilty now, Zim lightly ran his fingers over Dib's hand apologetically.

When the other began stroking his hand, Dib peeked out from underneath the covers to look up at Zim before blushing even more.

"You know, so long as his condition doesn't become worse, in a few hours, we may be able to take that tube out of his throat and get him on a breathing mask instead. That way it won't be so uncomfortable for him and he may be able to talk to you again."

Zim looked up at the nurse. "Really?" He looked back at Dib. "Hear that? You may get to take that out later, Dib." He then smiled at the other, hoping that would coax Dib out from his hiding place.

Smiling a bit herself, the nurse watched Zim smile down at Dib, still running his fingers lightly on his hand.

His entire body relaxing for the time being as his fingers twitched against Zim's hand, Dib just blinked lazily as he stared up at the disguised Irken for a moment before bringing his hand up to his cheek and nuzzling it.

Zim watched what Dib was doing, hand twitching a bit. "Heh…" He rubbed his thumb gently against Dib's cheek.

Closing his eyes, Dib hummed out a small content sound through the tube.

That's when the nurse who had called the professor entered, making all three of them look up at her. "Dib, your father is here to see you." She turned to the professor who also walked into the room. "Here he is, Professor." She then said before stepping back to allow him more room into the small hospital room.

The professor turned to the nurse. "Thank you for calling me." He thanked her before making his way into the room, which had Dib tensing slightly and sinking back down into the covers a bit, somewhat relieved that he couldn't talk in that moment due to the tube being down his throat. He wouldn't even know what to say at this point.

Looking back and forth between the professor and Dib uncomfortably, Zim then just looked up at the professor once he started to speak again.

The professor sighed. "Son, if I'd only known sooner that you'd gotten pneumonia..." He shook his head.

Squeezing Zim's hand which was still in his own a bit tighter, Dib shifted his gaze away from his father nervously.

Zim looked down at Dib worriedly and then looked up at the professor again. "Uh...Professor? Dib wanted me to stay at the hospital with him while he's here...But we need your permission given to the nurse here...So...Can we HAVE your permission...? Please…?" He asked, not wanting to think about what might happen were the professor to refuse them that.

"Hmmm?" The professor looked at Zim. "Hey, you're Dib's little foreign friend from the other day. Have you been here with my son this entire time?" He asked, having not been informed earlier of Zim's presence there.

"Yes, I have, and I'd stay longer, but I can't unless I've been given permission from you." Zim said, getting frustrated now.

"Well, I don't see any problem with you staying here with my son, but aren't your parents wondering where you are? And exactly how much school are you planning on missing?"

Zim's eyes widened a bit. "Heh...Oh yeah, they know I'm here, and they're fine with it, yep! And whatever I miss at skool I can easily catch up on later." He looked at him hopefully.

"Hmmm...Weeell...I guess if your parents are alright with it, it's fine...But perhaps I'll have my daughter Gaz pick up your homework with Dib's and bring it by every day for you two to work on so you don't fall too far behind on it."

"Yes! Excelle-… Ahem…I mean, great! Thank you." Zim smiled.

"Oh, that's alright. Well, I better go tell the nurse and be on my way then." Membrane looked down at the Zim doll Dib had. "Hmm…That's an interesting toy, son." He then looked over at Zim and then the doll again before turning to leave the room.

Zim watched him leave the room before turning back to Dib. "Whew! I'm sure glad that's over with!" He smiled wide at Dib.

Face having flushed a deep red at Membrane's words, Dib was otherwise relieved that his father had agreed to let Zim stay with him.

"And I thought I'd gotten out of having to do skool work. Ah well." Zim shrugged before smiling down at Dib warmly and giving his hand a little squeeze.

Staring up at Zim through half-lidded eyes, Dib then brought up both his hands to play with his fingers a bit nervously, something still not sitting right with him about that encounter.

And there you have it for Chapter 64. Until next time~


	65. Chapter 65

Dib Is Sick Chapter 65: Secret Messages

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Bringing up his other hand to gently stroke the top of Dib's head when the other began playing with his fingers, Zim fiddled around with a lock of the boy's hair himself, just glad now that he didn't have to worry about being kicked out of the hospital any time soon.

Closing his eyes contently at the feel of Zim playing with his hair, Dib then turned over onto his side a bit in the bed and hugged Zim's hand to himself along with the Zim doll.

Turning to look at Dib hugging his hand to himself, Zim ran his fingers through the black strands of hair gently while staring down at him. "Heh…" He smiled at the other amused.

Peeking his eyes open slightly to look up at Zim, Dib then looked behind himself at the young nurse in the room with them and then back at Zim, realizing this was probably as close as they'd be getting with her in the room.

Looking over at the nurse himself, who smiled back at him sweetly, before looking back down at Dib again, Zim caught onto what he was thinking and sighed, annoyed that he couldn't get any closer now that they were under constant watch.

With his left hand, Dib started tracing small patterns on Zim's hand with one of his fingers, first drawing out the letters 'I LOVE YOU' onto his skin gently.

Smiling down at him, Zim brought down his hand from Dib's hair to run his finger over the back of Dib's hand, drawing a heart, followed by a 'U' and then a '2.'

Smiling a bit himself at Zim's written message to him, Dib then drew his own large heart in the middle of Zim's hand followed by a 'Z+D' in the middle.

Zim's smile widened. "Heh…" He brought his hand back up to run over Dib's hair again.

Closing his eyes, Dib may as well have started purring at the small pet before opening them again to write something else on Zim's hand. "You are cute, Zim..." he smiled to himself, looking at the doll again and then at Zim.

Zim blushed. "Ew, am not…" He continued stroking Dib's hair, still smiling down at him calmly but with a slight blush now.

Looking up at the two a bit confused now, the nurse then just shrugged it off.

Tracing 'R 2' onto Zim's hand, Dib then pulled the Irken's entire arm down to draw out a long question onto it. "Why else do you think I carry around a doll of you?" he asked before glancing at the alien all too teasingly.

"Hmm...I don't know. Cuz I'm amazing?" Zim smirked back at him.

Dib's eyes fell half lidded at that response. "You have a really big ego, you know that?" He wrote out before rolling his eyes slightly.

Still smirking, Zim nodded his head once. "Yes, I know." he said, not seeing any reason why he should deny that fact.

Dib rolled his eyes again before dragging his finger across Zim's skin. "Well, I carry it around because I think you're cute." He wrote out stubbornly, not wanting the other to think it was for any other reason than that.

Blushing slightly again, Zim glanced off to the side. "Mmhmm..." He sounded out as though completely disregarding Dib's written statement to him.

Watching Zim for a few more moments longer, Dib then let go of his arm and rolled over onto one of his sides, blinking his eyes closed tiredly.

Putting an elbow down onto the side of the bed, Zim rested his head in his hand while continuing to fiddle around with Dib's hair.

Peeking his eyes open to continue watching Zim as he played around with his hair, Dib then gave Zim's arm a small nudge with his face.

Drawing back his hand, Zim blinked at the small nudge. "Hmm? Do you want me to stop?" He asked, thinking his petting was keeping the other up.

Quickly reaching out his hands to keep the other from pulling away, Dib then made a small kissy face at Zim.

Zim smirked. "Heh heh...Okaaay." he looked up at the nurse before putting his hand back on Dib's hair and smiling down at him.

His eyes closed, Dib peeked one eye open and then the other before giving Zim's arm another nudge and kissy face, puckering his lips even more, just wanting a small, quick kiss from the other.

Frowning and raising a brow at the other, Zim then sighed before looking up at the nurse and raising a hand to point at something behind her. "Wow! Look at that thing!" He exclaimed suddenly to draw her attention away from them.

"Hmm? What?" The nurse turned around to look for whatever it was Zim was pointing at.

Zim used the opportunity to give Dib a quick peck on the cheek.

The nurse then turned back around. "I didn't see anything." She said, sending him an even more confused look now.

"Ehm...My mistake." Zim shrugged and smiled innocently at her, a little surprised that had actually worked.

And there you have it for Chapter 65. Until next time~


	66. Chapter 66

Dib Is Sick Chapter 66: Whispers In The Ear

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Just continuing to blink in some confusion at Zim and Dib, the nurse eventually returned her attention back to her notes.

Giggling through the tube a bit and squirming around in the bed, Dib, meanwhile, had by now closed his eyes with a big smile on his face, happy that he got what he wanted from Zim.

Zim gave him a light poke on the forehead. "Yeah, you better be happy, stink-beast." He smirked before giving his hair a small ruffle.

Reaching up a hand to take hold of Zim's hand, Dib blinked his eyes back open before intertwining their fingers together.

Staring down at him all the while, Zim moved his thumb gently against Dib's hand.

Dib brought up his free hand to write something else on Zim's arm. "Hey, where did Gir go anyways?" He asked, having only just then realized the android wasn't with them.

Zim's eyes grew wide. "Gir?! I don't-...He went home...Didn't he?..." He asked, having completely forgotten about Gir back when all the panic from earlier had unfolded.

"I don't remember him saying he was going home, but then again, I might have been asleep."

Zim looked worried all of a sudden. "Oh, please tell me he went back to the base..." He said quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, up a few floors, back in the room Dib had been in earlier, Gir was still fast asleep underneath the bed where they had left him after Gaz had gone home and both Zim and Dib had fallen asleep.

Entering the room where Gir was to make the bed, another nurse hummed to herself as she proceeded to change the sheets.

Sitting up and rubbing his eyes sleepily, Gir blinked his eyes open at hearing the nurse enter the room. "Mastah?" He crawled out from underneath the bed, accidentally bumping into the nurse's leg and causing her to scream.

The nurse took a few steps back. "Wh-What on earth?!"

"Hi, lady! You seen my mastah!?"

The nurse looked down at the green and black puppy before kneeling down to pick him up. "Where on earth did you come from?" She turned to look out the door. "Must belong to that kid in ICU or his friend staying with him." She then murmured to herself before looking back at the disguised android.

Meanwhile, back in the room with Zim, Dib and the younger nurse, all three of them looked up when the nurse holding Gir walked on into the room.

Gir gasped. "Mastah!" He squirmed around in the nurse's arms before jumping onto Zim and knocking him to the floor. "Where'd you go, mastah?! I missed youuu!" He clung to Zim's head as though he hadn't seen the other in weeks.

"Agh! Gir! GetoffaZiiim!"

"So I guess it's safe to say that little guy belongs to you then."

"Unfortunately, yes..."

Still clinging to Zim's head, Gir then looked over at Dib and gasped again. "Big-Head Boy! I missed you too!" He jumped from Zim's head onto Dib's abdomen, causing him to let out a small 'oof' sound through the tube down his throat.

Zim quickly got back up onto his feet. "Gir!" He made a grab for the little SIR unit, who only squirmed around in his grip while giggling excitedly.

As Zim attempted to wrestle Gir off of him, Dib shrank down under the covers a bit.

Zim managed to lift the squirming SIR unit off of Dib. "Rghh! Gir! Go home! Obeyyy meee!" He demanded before pointing out the hospital door.

Gir went still in Zim's arms suddenly. "Aahhww." He pulled a sad face.

Dib reached out a hand to take Zim by one of his arms and pull it towards him. "Wait a minute, Zim. He can stay just so long as he doesn't jump on me again." He wrote out on the others arm when he saw the sad face Gir had on.

Looking over at Dib for a moment, Zim then frowned and looked back at Gir. "Fffiinne...You can stay, Gir. But only if you leave Dib alone." He sent the robot a threatening glare for a moment.

Gir made a happy face. "Yaaay!" He cheered when Zim gave him the okay to stay there with them.

Still running his fingers along Zim's arm, Dib let his eyes slip closed before pressing a cheek to it and resting his head there comfortably.

Secretly wanting to cuddle up to him right then, Zim merely stared down at Dib before running a hand back over his hair.

"Aww." Gir jumped out of Zim's grip to land on the bed this time instead of on Dib. "I think Mastah luuuuuvs you!" He whispered into the boy's ear before giggling insanely to himself.

Zim looked over at Gir puzzled and then back over at Dib. "What did he say?" He asked, wanting to know what his minion had just whispered into Dib's ear.

Not exactly sure what Zim's reaction would be if he knew what Gir had just told him, Dib sank down under the covers a bit more, having by this point lit up a very bright shade of red.

And there you have it for Chapter 66. Until next time~


	67. Chapter 67

Dib Is Sick Chapter 67: In The Dark

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

When a few moments went by and Dib didn't answer his question, Zim turned his attention back on Gir before asking him instead what he had just told Dib. "Gir, what did you say to Dib? Tell to Zim!" He barked, making a rather dramatic gesture in the air with both his hands as he waited for an answer from his minion.

Gir just giggled however.

Zim frowned. "Diiib?" He asked again, not liking being kept in the dark like this.

Pulling the covers over his head and refusing to answer Zim's question, Dib sank down even further into the bed.

Zim blinked down at Dib and then just threw his arms up in frustration. "Agh!" He then pulled his arms back down, pouting and bowing his head in defeat.

Gir merely giggled again before climbing under the covers with Dib to sit up on his chest and whisper something else to the flustered boy. "D'awww...Master cranky...He gonna have a baby?" He asked, liking this game of keeping secrets from his master.

Eyes snapping wide open at the disguised robot's question, Dib sat bolt upright so quickly in his spot that he bumped his head against something hanging right above the bed. Letting out a pained groan, he then held his head in two hands, his entire face red now.

The young nurse got to her feet in a hurry at the way he sat up and leaned over him to see that he was okay. "Oh my, are you alright?" She asked, wanting to make sure he hadn't hurt himself.

Zim, meanwhile, just stared at him wide-eyed. "What the Irk did he say to make you do that?!" He demanded, wanting an answer from Dib this time around.

Waving his hands in front of himself as if to say he was fine however, Dib was unable to look Zim back in the eyes as he sat there in bed, staring down at the covers, his face growing redder and redder by the minute.

Looking at him a little puzzled, the nurse then just returned back to her seat and sat back down with her notes.

"Liiieees!" Zim frowned, holding out his arm and pointing at it for Dib to spell it out to him on.

Shaking his head at the others command, Dib could only sink down in the bed guiltily again.

Zim dropped his arm down to his side again and just made an irritated grunt. "...I'll get it out of one of you later..." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else in the room.

Shaking his head even more at those words, Dib's face flared up an even brighter red before he pulled the covers up and back over himself to hide underneath.

Zim leaned nearer to Dib as his reaction. "Yesss...I will find out. You can hide nothing from Zim!" He gave him a light poke on the forehead.

Gir giggled. "Whatchu gonna name it, Diiib? Ooh! Let's call it Taco!" He exclaimed out loud, this time so Zim could hear too.

Zim looked at Gir. "...Eh?" He looked utterly confused now as he had no idea what his stupid robot sidekick was going on about any longer.

All the color having drained out of his face completely by now, leaving him a very pale shade of white, Dib tensed up at Gir's words.

"Gir..? What are y-" He began to ask before turning to see the look on Dib's face and bowing his head in defeat. "Oooh...Never mind...Forget it." He pouted, still really wanting to know what they had been talking about but not wanting to stress Dib out any more than he obviously already was.

His face still deathly white, Dib slowly lowered himself back down into the bed, feeling as though he really needed to just lie down for a few minutes now.

"Uh..." Zim looked at Dib wide-eyed. "Are you okay, Dib?" He asked when he realized how out of it the other suddenly looked.

Closing his eyes, Dib could only nod his head slowly in response.

"Hmm...Whatever Gir said to you must have been really something...Eh...But not like I want to know or anything." He waved his hands up defensively as he said that last part.

Cringing slightly before peeking his eyes open to look up at Zim for a moment, Dib then closed them again and curled up even more in the bed, just wanting to block out all noise now as he was beginning to get a headache.

Putting his elbow down onto the bed while supporting his face in one hand, Zim brought up his other hand to gently play around with Dib's hair while he looked around the room rather curiously now.

Peeking his eyes open a second time to look up at Zim when he began playing with his hair, Dib then found Zim's free arm to write on. "What are you looking at?" He asked, trying to take his mind off everything that had happened prior to that moment.

Zim shrugged. "Just this room. It's not like the room we were in before." He said, noting all the extra equipment the last room they'd been in had lacked.

Frowning and sinking down slightly under the covers, Dib looked around the room himself, not liking all of the strange equipment surrounding the bed. "I don't like it in here..." He wrote out on the others arm again, wishing he didn't have to stay in such a room.

Zim looked back at Dib and then down at the covers uncomfortably. "I know...I'm sorry." He took one of Dib's hands and rubbed his thumb over it gently.

His fingers twitching slightly, Dib rested his head back in one of his arms and watched lazily as Zim ran a thumb over his hand before moving his hand to Zim's arm again. "Do you think I'll be allowed to go back home anytime soon?" He asked, wanting Zim to tell him yes so he could rest easier.

"...Maybe." Zim said, still not looking him in the eyes as he felt a little uncertain about this and didn't want to get Dib's hopes up too high in case he was wrong.

And there you have it for Chapter 67. Until next time~


	68. Chapter 68

Dib Is Sick Chapter 68: Melancholy

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

His face seeming to fall a bit at Zim's response to his question, Dib dropped his hand away from the others arm and pulled it back to himself to hug the blankets tightly.

Zim looked up at Dib quickly at his reaction. "Huh, I mean...Probably. I guess they can't keep you here for too much longer." He tried to send Dib a reassuring smile.

Dib looked back up at Zim sadly. "My mom was kept here for 4 months before she died..." He wrote out to the other on his arm again.

Looking back at him a little shocked by his words, Zim looked off to the side sadly for a moment before looking back at him again. "Well...It won't be the same for you, Dib." He said with a confident nod of his head.

Dib hugged the covers even tighter to himself. "I'm not so sure...I've only been here about 24 hours and already I have something jammed down my throat that's breathing for me." He wrote before tightening his grip on the covers slightly.

"Well, yes...But they said you might not have to keep that thing in..."

Dib sighed through the tube. "Knowing my luck, something else will happen to me that will prevent them from taking it out..." He wrote before closing his eyes tiredly.

Zim sighed. "It's always the melancholy with you, Dib-human." He smiled. "I'm sure you'll get to have that thing out soon enough so you can wear the mask instead." He then said, still trying to lift Dib's spirits despite his current doubts.

Dib could only blush at Zim's words before sinking back under the covers to hide his face in them shyly.

Smiling down at him a little amused by his reaction, Zim took one of Dib's hands to write him a message on his arm. "It's too bad the nurse is in here." He wrote in a suggestive manner.

Tensing completely as he felt as though his entire body were on fire now, Dib hesitantly searched with a hand for Zim's arm before writing back his own response. "Wh-Why?" he asked, refusing to meet Zim's gaze in that moment.

"Pff." Zim laughed at his reaction. "So I could hug you. Why? What were YOU thinking of?" He smirked.

If possible, Dib's body grew even warmer at Zim's question. "N-Nothing..." He wrote back before pulling his hand back to himself. In reality however, he couldn't get the thought of what he and Zim had been doing down in the basement of the hospital out of his head now.

"Mhmmm..." Zim shook his head then nuzzled one of Dib's hands to his cheek.

Hesitantly peeking his eyes out from under the covers, his cheeks a bright red now, Dib glanced back at the nurse in the room with them for a moment, his blush growing even more.

Looking down at Dib, Zim's eyes widened once he realized what he was doing, and he let go of Dib's hand to look off to the side, blushing just a teeny bit himself now.

Blushing and glancing back at the nurse every few seconds, Dib brought his hand back to his chest, his current thoughts creating a slight problem for him that he really hoped she wouldn't notice.

The nurse noticed that Dib kept glancing at her. "Hmm? Is everything alright?" She asked, noting how flushed the boy currently was.

Jumping slightly at the nurse's question, Dib waved a hand at her and nodded his head quickly.

The nurse nodded her head slowly. "Oh, alright then." She looked at him a bit oddly before shrugging it off.

Staring down at the covers now, Dib just continued to sit stiffly in the bed.

Looking over at Dib again, Zim ran his fingers over his arm to spell out "Sorry."

Still blushing, Dib shifted his gaze over to look at Zim before bringing the others hand up to nuzzle his cheek to gently.

Looking at Dib a bit surprised for doing that, Zim then just smiled.

Bringing his free hand up, Dib then started playing with Zim's fingers again, somewhat tempted to pull one of them into his mouth again.

And there you have it for Chapter 68. Until next time~


	69. Chapter 69

Dib Is Sick Chapter 69: Possessive

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Watching what Dib was doing curiously, Zim's fingers twitched a bit for a moment as the other continued to play with his hand.

Rubbing them between his own fingers gently as though they were the alien's antennae, Dib then shifted his gaze up to stare at the others wig where his real antennae were, really wishing he could just touch them, even if only for a short second.

Zim looked over to their hands and moved his fingers over each of Dib's, exploring Dib's five digits with his three before entwining their fingers together.

Just staring up at the Irken with wide eyes, observing all of his features closely, Dib scooted in closer to Zim.

Staring back at the other, Zim brought up a hand to gently run his finger over the bridge of Dib's nose and then lightly poked the end of it before pulling his hand away and smiling down at him.

Dib could only blush shyly at the small poke to his nose before finding the others side and burying his face in it, causing his glasses to go askew.

Smile widening a little at his reaction, Zim moved his hand over to Dib's hair to stroke at soothingly.

Shifting slightly to peek up at Zim, Dib's glasses fell off from his face at the action, causing him to blink when everything suddenly went blurry.

Staring back at him for a few long moments, Zim then moved his hand from Dib's hair to pick up the glasses and carefully place them back over his eyes before sending him another small smile.

His eyelids falling half-lidded as he rested his cheek up against the others hip, Dib smiled back up at Zim, about ready to just fall asleep in the others lap.

Running a finger over Dib's arm to draw an "I" followed by a heart and then a "U," Zim moved his hand back over to stroke Dib's hair again.

Dib lazily drew one of his own fingers across Zim's leg this time. "I know...I love you too, Zim..." He finished tracing out before letting his fingers grow still on the others leg, just resting there as he felt sleep overcoming him.

Continuing to gently stroke Dib's hair as he drifted off to sleep, Zim sighed quietly to himself as he stared down at him, really wishing he could just be closer to the other right now.

Subconsciously wrapping his arms completely around one of Zim's legs in his sleep, Dib hugged it tightly to himself as he slumbered peacefully.

Eyes widening and blushing suddenly at the others sudden action, Zim peeked up at the nurse, who wasn't really paying much attention as of now. Relaxing a little again, he then fiddled with a lock of Dib's hair.

Shifting in his sleep a bit, Dib then attempted to turn over onto his other side with the Irken's leg still in tow.

Blinking down at him, Zim struggled to keep his balance for a short moment at the sudden pull to his leg.

Letting out a small frustrated whine in his sleep when he was unable to pull the leg with him completely, Dib gave it a few more stubborn tugs.

Almost losing his balance again at all the tugs to his leg, Zim flailed his arms around before having to press his hands down onto the bed either side of Dib to stop himself from falling on top of him.

Just clinging to the leg possessively, Dib finally settled after a moment or two.

Blinking down at Dib wide-eyed, Zim looked up at the nurse again, who was now staring back at him a bit oddly. Frowning, he then tried to lightly shake him off.

"Mmmm..." Dib pulled himself under the covers a bit, still refusing to let go of the leg.

Pulling at Dib's arm and attempting yet again to get him off, Zim made a small irritated grunt.

Bringing up his free arm to lightly start swatting at whatever it was that was trying to prevent him from keeping his current pillow, Dib let out another small whine of his own.

Giving up, Zim then sighed and put himself into a more comfortable position, bringing up his legs to sit on the side of the bed while being careful not to disturb Dib too much as he allowed him to use his leg as a pillow, regardless of what the nurse must be thinking right now.

And there you have it for Chapter 69. Until next time~


	70. Chapter 70

Dib Is Sick Chapter 70: Captive Limbs

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

A little amused now by Dib's relentless attachment to Zim's leg, the nurse merely smiled back at Zim when he allowed Dib to keep possession of said limb.

Growing still now that he had gotten his way, Dib, meanwhile, happily nuzzled the leg in his sleep.

Shaking his head and looking off to the side, Zim then peeked over at the nurse before quickly looking away again and frowning with a slight blush.

Letting go of the leg long enough to search for the covers down by his feet, Dib shivered a bit in his sleep.

Zim leaned forward a bit to pull the covers up over Dib.

Stretching a bit and then curling up with the covers, Dib happily returned to cuddling Zim's leg affectionately in his sleep.

Zim couldn't help but smile a little at that as he stared down at him, bringing up a hand to gently play around with a lock of his hair.

At the feel of Zim running his clawed fingers gently through his hair, Dib let out a small snore and content sound similar to a purr.

"Heh..." Zim smirked a little, amused by that as he continued to play around with his hair.

"Mmmm..." Dib let go of Zim's leg a second time, though this time to turn over in bed onto his back so he could reach up his hands to find the hand playing around with his hair and hug it close to himself.

His hand twitching slightly in the others grip, Zim blinked in a bit of surprise.

Pulling on the hand a bit more, Dib then tugged the others arm in close to hug as he had done with the Irken's leg.

Getting yanked forward a bit by the other, forcing him to have to lean over him closely again, Zim whined out quietly. "Diiib..." He tried to pull his arm free.

Reluctant to let Zim have his arm back now, Dib merely squeezed the arm tighter.

"Uuugh..." Zim just flopped himself back down onto the bed to let Dib have his arm.

The nurse giggled. "I don't think he's going to let you get away." She said, enjoying the tug-of-war display in front of her.

Zim tried one last time to yank his arm free but failed. "...I guess not." He said, not having it in him to fight the other any longer.

Clinging to the arm with one hand, Dib brought up a free hand to rub at one of his eyes sleepily before dropping it back down to secure the arm even tighter to himself, one of his hands subconsciously playing around with the fingers on Zim's hand one at a time.

Fingers twitching a bit as he watched Dib play around them, Zim relaxed a little, feeling relieved that the nurse seemed okay with all this.

Pressing the tip of one of his fingers to the tip of one of Zim's, Dib pushed on it lightly back and forth.

Moving one of his fingers to run up and down one of Dib's gently, Zim's eyes fell half-lidded as he watched the others actions.

A small giggle escaping him in sleep as he curled in on himself even more, Dib squirmed a bit at the tickling sensation of one of Zim's fingers dragging itself back and forth along one of his.

Letting out a small quiet laugh of his own, Zim smiled and entwined their fingers.

Stilling after a moment, Dib yawned through the tube before finally drifting into an even deeper sleep that left him completely motionless now.

Lightly moving his thumb against his hand as he watched him sleep, Zim shuffled a little nearer to him, feeling a little tired himself now.

Curling himself around the other, Dib turned his head enough to hide his face away in the Irken's side.

Staring down at him with half-lidded eyes, Zim moved a hand down to run over Dib's back gently.

Continuing to sleep undisturbed for a few more hours, Dib then finally began to show the first few signs of waking up. "Mmm..." He blinked his eyes slightly open before lazily dragging one of his fingers across Zim's arm which happened to be underneath his hand. "Zim...?" He blinked his eyes open even more when he didn't get a response back and sat up a bit just to find that the other was fast asleep next to him.

And there you have it for Chapter 70. Until next time~


	71. Chapter 71

Dib Is Sick Chapter 71: Barging In

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Letting out a small and quiet whine at all the others shifting about, Zim nuzzled into a pillow before returning to sleep peacefully again.

Blinking down at the disguised alien, Dib then reached down to pull the covers up over both him and Zim before settling back down into his spot comfortably, gently running his fingers over the others skin, not spelling anything in particular out this time.

Sighing quietly in his sleep, Zim scooted a bit closer to Dib and brought up a hand to grip onto his hospital gown.

Smiling before bringing down his free hand to Zim's hand gripping his gown, Dib began to play with the alien's fingers, much in the same way he had been when he was fast asleep earlier.

Peeking his eyes open a tiny bit to look at the other after a while, Zim then closed them again and moved his hand to take Dib's, moving his fingers gently against the human's.

Dib could only smile even more at this before tracing his free hand along Zim's arm. "Good...err...What time is it anyways?" He sat up a bit to look about the room in search of a clock, having completely lost his sense of time.

Eyes still closed, Zim spoke sleepily. "Mmm… I think it's about… five in the afternoon..." He said despite not having any idea himself.

Unable to find a clock, Dib looked about a second time. "So we slept through an entire night and most of the day?" He asked, not feeling as though he'd been asleep for so long.

"Eh...Or five in the morning...I don't know." Zim said before nuzzling into the pillow again sleepily.

"O-oh...Okay..." Dib wrote out before laying back down in his spot and staring up at the ceiling, wide awake now. Shifting his gaze over to the nurse for a moment, he then noticed that she had also fallen asleep in the chair she was sitting in. "The nurse is asleep now..." He idly wrote out to the other.

Opening his eyes instantly, Zim leaned himself up a little to see for himself before speaking quietly. "Hmm… So she is." He said before looking back at Dib.

Blushing a bit, Dib stared back at Zim shyly before shifting his gaze away and playing with his fingers.

Smirking, Zim leaned in to give him a small peck on the cheek.

Smiling happily, Dib continued to play with his fingers right up until they were interrupted by the door flying open and the nurse from before walking in, which had Dib jumping back, Zim pulling away, and the young nurse in the chair jolting awake.

Standing up to greet the other nurse, the young nurse began discussing a few things with her before turning to look at Dib.

"Alright, Dib. According to our young nurse-in-training here, you seem to be doing well enough that we can take out the tube in your throat and get you on a breathing mask for now."

Calming himself a bit from the shock of the nurse suddenly barging in, Zim then turned to smile at Dib at that news.

Dib, however, had paled by this point, not only from the shock of the nurse barging in on them but from the thought of the procedure. "W-Will it hurt?" He wrote out on Zim's arm uncertainly.

"I don't think it will. Besides, it can't feel good having that down your throat." Zim said quietly to him as he pointed to the tube in question.

Dib looked down at the tube and then back up at Zim. "And you promise not to leave me while they're taking it out?" He wrote, afraid they might try to take him out of the room or something for the procedure.

"Eh… Why would I leave?" Zim shook his head before then just smiling at the other. "Heh, yes, of course I won't leave." He promised just so the other wouldn't worry so much about it.

Dib's eyelids fell half-lidded as he slumped down in the bed tiredly. "Just making sure..." He then wrote out before closing his eyes.

"Alright, Dib, are you ready for us to take that out for you?"

Shifting his gaze up to look at the older of the two nurses, Dib nodded slowly.

The nurse nodded back and smiled at him. "Alright." She said again before turning to sort out some of the needed equipment for the procedure.

Zim gave Dib's hand an encouraging squeeze. "It will be fine." He tried to reassure the other in a quiet whisper.

Linking their fingers as he waited for them to begin, Dib nervously began looking about the room.

The older nurse approached Dib again with the younger nurse, who had a breathing mask ready to put on him once the tube was out. "Okay, this may feel a bit uncomfortable…" She warned him before beginning, wanting to get this over with as few complications as possible.

And there you have it for Chapter 71. Until next time~


	72. Chapter 72

Dib Is Sick Chapter 72: Out Of The Bag

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Gulping nervously when the older nurse instructed him to try and take a deep breath and hold it with his mouth open, Dib fidgeted nervously as she slowly began to work the tube up out of his throat.

"Now, just relax. You may gag for a moment, but it will be out before you have time to do anything else." The nurse began slowly moving part of the tube out of his throat, waiting until the last possible second to pull the entire thing out before he choked on it.

Even though he himself had shoved tubes into people's throats before for certain experiments, Zim stared down at what was happening rather uncomfortably, trying his best not to show his discomfort though as he continued holding Dib's hand.

After a few more moments of pulling the tube up slowly, the older nurse finally pulled the whole thing out, making Dib jerk forward a bit.

Beginning to cough almost instantly, Dib gasped for air momentarily before having an oxygen mask placed over his face just in case.

"Alright, see? That wasn't so bad. Now the mask is just a precaution to help you breathe better. So don't remove it. And try not to talk for a while. Your throat might be sore if you do and will need some time to heal."

Zim looked down at Dib and then up at the older nurse. "Does he have to be monitored for this too?" He asked, hoping now that Dib was breathing on his own again, they could catch a moment alone.

"I'm afraid so. Any patient in the ICU is required to have somebody monitoring them at all times."

Looking away and nodding his head slowly, Zim then looked back at Dib and the mask he was now wearing.

Reaching out his hands to take Zim's, Dib merely returned back to playing around with the others fingers again.

Finding that kind of cute, Zim smiled a little and moved his fingers along with Dib's.

Taking four of Zim's fingers into his own, Dib then shaped them into a small heart.

Watching Dib curiously, Zim smiled a bit at the heart formed with their hands.

Smiling himself when he was able to make the small heart, Dib then hugged Zim's hands to himself.

Very slightly rubbing his hands up against him, Zim's fingers twitched a bit.

Shifting his gaze up to Zim's and just staring, Dib watched the others eyes as though trying to see past the purple contacts to his real eyes, not wanting to break eye contact.

Tilting his head to one side a tiny bit, Zim stared back at him for a while before then looking over at the young nurse monitoring them, who was now yawning with her eyes closed. Using the small opportunity to lean in to Dib and give him a small nuzzle to the side of his face, he then smiled down at him again.

Curling his knees up to himself, Dib let out a small giggle at the gentle nuzzle.

Laying himself back down beside the other again, Zim's smile widened a bit.

Scooting himself closer to Zim almost instantly, Dib curled himself around the disguised Irken and yawned out tiredly.

Bringing up an arm to put around him, Zim cuddled him in closely.

Peering back up at Zim, Dib mouthed the words "I love you" without actually saying them.

Zim ran his fingers over Dib's arm. "Love you too." He wrote before then drawing a small heart shape around the words and putting his hand back onto Dib's back to cuddle him again.

Stretching out his arms and legs, Dib happily nuzzled his face more into Zim's chest.

About to drift off at this point, Zim sighed contently before his eyes suddenly went wide as a certain thought entered his mind in that moment. "...Is Gir still in here?" He asked, going to sit up slightly again.

Too comfortable to move as said SIR unit popped his head out from underneath the covers, Dib shrugged.

"D'awww...You look so cute...Whenz you gonna have the babiez?!"

Seeming to wake up at that comment, Dib's entire face turned a bright, cherry-red.

"Eh?" Zim looked at Gir confused. "Babies?" He looked back at Dib, only then noticing how red he had become. "Hm?" He blinked back and forth between the two even more confused.

So horribly embarrassed now, Dib couldn't bring himself to look back at Zim any longer as all he could do was pull the covers up over his head now.

And there you have it for Chapter 72. Until next time~


	73. Chapter 73

Dib Is Sick Chapter 73: Lashing Out

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Frowning a bit at Dib's reaction when the other pulled the covers up over his head to hide under, Zim put on a thoughtful look for a moment before finally saying something. "...Does this have something to do with what you two were talking about earlier?" He asked, figuring it must have something to do with it, given Dib's flustered reaction to Gir's babbling.

Responding only by sinking even further under the covers, Dib tensed at the others question.

"Heh heh." Zim smirked. "I knew Zim would find out eventually." He said, going to poke Dib lightly.

Dib raised up a hand from under the covers to give Zim a good smack before writing out "Jerk..." On the others leg.

"Ow!" Zim pouted. "What did you do that for?" He demanded, not understanding why the other was so suddenly getting all upset over this.

His face a bright red now, Dib could only peek out from underneath the covers to glare up at Zim. "Because it's not funny!" He exclaimed, voice coming out rather scratchy from how little it'd been used over the past 24 hours or so.

"Okay, okay! Sorry! You didn't have to lash out at me over it though."

Still fuming, Dib pouted as he hugged the pillow to himself stubbornly.

Frowning and muttering something to himself under his breath, Zim then just rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling silently.

Finally rolling over slightly after a few silent minutes had passed, Dib peeked back over at the other momentarily before returning to his original position.

Gir, meanwhile, sat at the end of the bed, staring at them with a sad face. "Ahww...Nya!" He ran over to Zim and jumped onto him, causing him to make an 'oof' sound.

Zim frowned. "Gir! Why did you do that!?" He demanded, more than a little annoyed by the android's unpredictable antics.

Gir giggled before answering. "I dunno." He shrugged innocently.

"Ugh! Everyone's attacking me today!"

"D'awww...Mastah needs a hug!" Gir wrapped his arms around Zim and squeezed him tightly before letting go of him to crawl over to Dib's side of the bed. Peeking over at said human from behind, he then turned back to face Zim. "Mastah, da Big-Head Boy is sad..."

"Mh…" Zim frowned up at the ceiling again before looking over at Dib and then the ceiling again and then Dib yet again. Slowly reaching up a hand, he then gave him a light poke. "Hey, why are you so mad at Zim over this anyways?" He asked, not seeing what the big deal was.

Dib could only curl up at the poke.

Peeking over at Dib again, Gir then turned back to Zim. "He's not mad, Mastah. Da Big-Head Boy is cryyyy'n..." He said, his own lower lip quivering slightly now.

Sitting himself up at that information, Zim looked over at Dib with some concern now. "Oh, come on, Dib. I'm sorry... Don't cry." He lightly brushed his fingers over the boy's arm, hoping that he'd respond in some way.

Dib merely pulled himself underneath the covers to hide even more however.

Zim sighed. "Diiib! Come ooon! Please?" He pouted at the others reaction. "Don't do this to Ziiim." He said, suddenly feeling rather guilty that he'd unintentionally upset the other again.

Dib didn't respond save for a small sniffle from underneath the covers.

Bringing up his knees and hugging them to himself while staring at the wall gloomily, Zim just looked down at the bed sheets in defeat and then in front of himself again.

From his spot under the covers where nobody could see him, Dib quietly removed the mask from his face before making a dash from underneath them for the door, just needing to get away.

"D-Dib! You can't leave this room!" The nurse was up in a flash, chasing after him.

Zim sat bolt upright in his spot. "Wha-?!" His antennas flicked upwards, making him have to throw his hands up over his head to stop his wig from coming off. "Dib?!" He got up onto his feet to chase after him but was suddenly glomped onto by Gir.

Gir clung to Zim. "Mastah! Dun leave me alone again!" He begged, not wanting to be left behind in the hospital room again.

"GIR!" Zim tried to wrestle the SIR unit off of himself before giving up and trying to go after Dib, Gir clinging to his backside now.

Before any of the nurses could grab hold of him, Dib, meanwhile, ducked into the men's bathroom on that floor and locked himself inside of a stall, hiding out there until the nurses outside all left that area.

Zim ran over to a few nurses crowded around the entrance. "Where did he go?!" He asked, once he had caught up with everybody else.

"In here." The young nurse pointed to the bathroom door before going in herself with Zim and Gir following behind her. "Dib? What on Earth's the matter?" She asked, not understanding why he had so suddenly darted out of the room like that.

"Go away!"

The nurse began to panic a little. "Dib, please come out. You need to be in bed with the mask on you." she said, not certain how stable his current breathing was without it.

"Maybe I should stay in here and talk to him for a while...alone?" Zim said quietly to the nurse, hoping she'd give them just a moment's time alone to talk things through.

And there you have it for Chapter 73. Until next time~


	74. Chapter 74

Dib Is Sick Chapter 74: Keeping A Promise

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Not wanting to get in trouble for this situation, the nurse bit her bottom lip at Zim's request before taking him off to the side for a moment. "H-He wouldn't happen to be on any other medications, would he? There's nothing he missed a dosage of in the time he's been here?" She asked, thinking perhaps all these episodes Dib kept having may be linked to a mental problem of some sort.

Zim blinked in some confusion at that question. "Uhm...I don't think so." He shook his head. "No one mentioned anything, no." He said, not realizing what she was getting at with that question.

"Weeell...Okay, then. You have 5 minutes. But if you can't convince him to come out in that time, we're going to need to send somebody in there to force him out."

Zim nodded his head quickly at those words. "Mhmm! Mhmm! I can do it! I am Zim!" He exclaimed before going back over to the cubicle that Dib was currently in.

Sending him an odd look, the nurse then walked back out of the bathroom, looking worried.

His mind completely blank of what to say, Zim, meanwhile, just stared at the cubicle in silence for a few moments. "Uhm...Dib?" He knocked on the door, Gir still clinging to his back, looking a little worried now himself.

"I said to go away!" Dib sniffled wetly, his breathing shaky.

"No! I promised you that I'm not leaving you alone in this place, and I'm keeping that promise. What did I do to cause this anyways? All I did was find out about some stupid thing that Gir was babbling about earlier, so why are you so upset with Zim?"

"I just want to go home, okay?! So just leave me alone!"

Zim looked down. "But...You can't go home yet. You're already starting to get better...Why are you giving up now?" He asked, not understanding the other's sudden desire to leave when he'd been doing so well dealing with his fear of hospitals.

Crying his eyes out now, Dib shook his head at Zim's question. "I don't want to stay here! I don't like the room I'm in! And I just want to go home!" He said again, the stress of having been there so long finally getting to him again.

Getting both angry and upset now, Zim clenched his hands into fists. "Why?! So you can get worse again?! I'm not going to let that happen, Dib! You're all I've got on this filthy planet so just come out already..." He hugged himself. "Please… Or else someone is going to come in and force you out of there, and I don't want that to happen...I know you're scared of this place, but…Please just come out…" He begged, voice falling down to a whisper now.

A little scared to come out now, Dib shrank back a bit in the stall at all of Zim's yelling.

"...You know it's better if you stay here, even though you must hate it, but I'm not going to leave you...If you won't try and get better for yourself, can you at least do it for me?... Please?" Zim said after a few moments of silence had passed between the two of them.

"But they're not doing anything to help me! The only time they ever do something is when my condition gets worse!" Dib brought up his hands to rub at his eyes.

Zim frowned. "...Okay, you're right. But I can't talk to them about it unless you come out." He looked at the door in a bit of a panic. "Dib, come on, please. They'll be sending someone in here any second now." He said, growing anxious the longer Dib remained locked in the stall.

Dib opened the stall door slightly to peek out at Zim. "They won't listen...They never do..." He sniffled wetly as he tried to keep from breaking down again.

Pushing open the door more so he could wrap his arms around the other and hug him in closely, Zim let out a relieved sigh. "I'll make them listen. And if they don't help you then I'll just have to help you myself." He said, not wanting the other to give up on his treatment so easily without giving it a proper chance first.

Half-expecting the other was going to yell at him or something, Dib flinched back a bit when Zim hugged him in close.

Zim, however, just remained hugging him there for a while before finally pulling back a little and looking off to one side, blushing. "Heh...Sorry." He apologized, having not meant to scare the other so much with his yelling earlier.

Trying to wipe the tears out of his eyes by burying his face in Zim's chest, Dib continued to cry for several minutes longer as the other held him close.

Looking back at him, Zim ran a hand over Dib's hair to try and soothe him.

Whimpering into his chest as his breathing just continued to shake more and more, Dib clung to Zim's front side.

"Come on, we need to get that mask back on you." Zim said before scooping him up into his arms to carry out of there.

Instantly wrapping his arms around Zim's neck, Dib hid his face away there as the other carried him out of the bathroom.

The young nurse sighed out in relief when she saw Zim finally exit the bathroom with Dib in tow. "Oh, thank goodness! I was getting really worried about you." She shook her head and followed them back into the room, letting Zim place Dib back onto the bed.

Still fairly upset, Dib just continued to wipe at his eyes, trying to blink the last of his tears out of them as the young nurse placed the breathing mask back over his face again.

And there you have it for Chapter 74. Until next time~


	75. Chapter 75

Dib Is Sick Chapter 75: Anxious

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Getting up onto the bed himself and crawling over to Dib once he had settled some, Zim pulled the crying human up onto his lap and hugged him in closely to try and calm him down some more.

Not wanting to even look at the room he was in any longer, Dib returned to crying into Zim's uniform top.

Zim ran a hand over his back lightly to try and calm him down.

"I want to go home...I want to go home..." Dib whimpered out in a quiet whisper.

Zim sighed. "I know you do." He gave him a small kiss on the forehead before cuddling him in closely again.

Blushing a tiny bit at the small kiss and sniffling wetly still, Dib lifted his head up to peer at the disguised alien for a moment before then dropping his gaze back down to look about the room, the strange-looking equipment making him want to hide himself away in Zim's chest again.

Zim stroked his hair gently with one hand, his other hand still wrapped around his back.

Willing himself to close his eyes sleepily, Dib then slowly began to calm at the feel of Zim's fingers running through his hair soothingly.

Reaching down to pull the covers up over the back of Dib to make him more comfortable, Zim then continued to stroke his hair softly.

It was only then that Dib finally seemed to drift back off to sleep pressed up against Zim.

Smiling once Dib had drifted off, the young nurse in the room with them sighed out in some relief. "That must be the reason he got so upset..." She said, more to herself than anyone else.

Zim looked over at the nurse. "Hm? You mean because he wants to go home?" He asked, not exactly understanding what she was getting at with that statement.

The nurse smiled back at him. "Well, yes...That's part of the reason, but a lot of our younger patients tend to react a little more strongly to treatment here when kept at the hospital for extended periods of time. It's fairly normal actually, especially when they're kept in bed for so long. Their sleeping patterns can get thrown off a bit and make them irritable at times. I assume that's why he got so upset all of a sudden. But he should be fine after getting some sleep." She said, assuming Dib was just restless after having been kept there so long.

Zim looked at the now asleep Dib. "...I hope so. He's been getting upset a lot lately..." He said before looking back up at the nurse. "The only time anyone has helped him here is when something bad happens to him or when he gets worse." He said, hating the fact that nothing had seemed to be going the way he had hoped it would when he first convinced Dib to check himself into a hospital.

"Oh..." The nurse looked down at Dib sadly. "Well, if you'd like, I could go have a talk with one of the doctors about this. I'm not really qualified to perform any treatments on him for this, but I can get a-hold of whoever is supposed to be in charge of his treatment while here. And, perhaps I can even arrange for somebody to get him a wheelchair for the rest of his stay here. That way you can take him for a few walks around the hospital whenever he gets restless. We also have an outdoor area you can take him to if he doesn't feel comfortable inside. Though they'd have to be short outings, and somebody would need to stay with you the entire time in case anything happens to him while he's out of ICU." She offered, understanding now why Dib continued to have such outbursts.

"Yes! I mean… He hates it in here, so that would be good." Zim nodded. "I think this room makes him feel kind of anxious for some reason." He said, having a look around it himself.

The nurse nodded her own head. "Alright, I'll contact one of the doctors as soon as he wakes up. And I don't blame him for being anxious in this room. It's kind of a lot for a patient to take in." She looked about the cluttered room. "The hospital doesn't mean to make the room seem so scary with all the weird equipment they put in here, but they just don't want to take any chances that they may need something." She explained, not wanting him to think they did it on purpose to scare patients.

"Thank you, and yes, Zim understands..." Zim looked back at Dib a little sadly. "Do you think he'll have to be here for a long time? He keeps asking me if I think they'll let him go home soon...I never know what to say without upsetting him though." He said, wanting to know for certain in case Dib asked again.

The nurse smiled back at him. "As soon as the doctor begins a treatment on him, he should be allowed to go back home after a couple of days. Though he may have to stay in bed for a while still and take whatever medicine the doctor prescribes to him. And we may want him to come back in for a checkup. But otherwise, I doubt he'll be here for more than a week at the very most." She said, hoping that would satisfy both their questions regarding the amount of time he'd be kept there.

"Really?!" Zim smiled at the nurse. "That's great! Heh. And here I thought he'd have to be here for ages. I'll tell him when he wakes up." He said, excited that he finally had some good news to tell Dib.

The nurse smiled down at the sleeping Dib. "I'm sure he'll be relieved to hear that." She said, certain that would lift his spirits some.

Shifting to a more comfortable position pressed against Zim, Dib coughed in his sleep but otherwise didn't wake up. "Mmmmm..." He sounded out in a small yet content hum.

Moving his attention back to Dib again, Zim stared down at him and gently ran a hand over the top of his head.

Dib responded by murmuring the others name in his sleep. "Mmmm...Zim..." He began searching for the other with his arms.

Zim gently ran his hand up and down the others back to try and settle him again.

Yawning in his sleep, Dib pulled his knees up to himself and practically purred out contently now.

Smiling down at him and hugging him in closely to himself, Zim hummed out his own contented sigh, happy that Dib seemed to have settled some now.

And there you have it for Chapter 75. Until next time~


	76. Chapter 76

Dib Is Sick Chapter 76: Good News

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Attempting to burrow himself underneath the others shirt for additional warmth once the Irken had pulled him in closer, Dib breathed against the alien's skin comfortably, the smooth, green skin a welcome comfort to him as he pillowed his head there and enjoyed the others scent.

"Hm?" Zim blinked in surprise, frowning and pulling his uniform top back down.

Dib's head now hidden under Zim's shirt, making the other look as though he were pregnant or something, the nurse giggled a little at what was going on in front of her.

Zim mumbled in annoyance and attempted to get Dib out from under his uniform by pulling at it. "Ngh! Diiib!" He whined a bit at the others reluctant attachment to his midsection.

Dib responded by shrinking back a bit with a small whine in his sleep before blinking his eyes open slowly and looking around in a slightly disoriented way. "Wh-Where... Henoticed Zim and the nurse then wilted. "Oh yeah..." He sighed, having been dreaming about finally getting to go home.

"Hm? What's wr- Oh wait! I have something good to tell you." Zim smirked.

"Hm?" Dib lifted his gaze up to look at Zim with a confused face. "S-Something good?" He repeated the others words back as a part of him was still waking up.

"Mmhmm." Zim nodded. "As it turns out, you may not have to stay here as long as we thought. The nurse said that you will probably get to go home in just a few days, and you don't have to spend all that time in this room. Good, huh?" He said excitedly, a wide smile plastered across his face now.

Dib could only stare at Zim with wide eyes for a few moments before smiling widely at him and glomping onto him, nuzzling into the others chest.

Zim jolted a bit in surprise at the sudden glomp from the other before smiling himself. "Heh…Yeah, I thought you'd be glad to hear that." He ruffled his hair.

Dib looked back up at Zim. "D-Does that mean they're going to do something for me soon so I can go home?" He asked, wondering whether the doctor might have come in while he was sleeping.

"Well, the nurse is going to talk to the people in charge so you can get the medical attention you need...So yes."

The nurse smiled at him. "In fact, I could do that right now if you'd like, though I'd have to get another nurse in here to watch you first while I'm gone." She said, pointing out the door as she started to get up out of her seat.

"Th-That's fine, just so long as they do SOMETHING soon."

"Very well, then. Wait right here." The nurse got up to go get another nurse from the waiting room down the hall.

Zim turned his head to look back at Dib after the nurse left and smiled. "See? You'll be okay, Dib-thing." He said, happy they were finally going to be seen to after everything they'd already undergone while there.

Dib looked back at Zim. "A-And you promise not to let them separate us, right? You're going to stay right next to me through all the treatments?" He wanted to make sure as he fiddled with the bed covers a little bit nervously.

Zim's eyes widened slightly. "Well…I..." He shook his head. "Oh…Relax. Why would they have to separate us? Zim will be right next to you the whole time, okay?" He sent the other a more reassuring smile now.

Staring down at the bed covers a moment before letting one of his hands stray to find Zim's and give it a small squeeze for reassurance, Dib felt just a tad bit unsure about Zim's answer but decided not to push it any farther as another, slightly older nurse walked into the room to take over for the one who had left to talk to the doctor for them.

Turning back to Dib at feeling his hand being squeezed by him, Zim then sent him a small smile back after looking over at the new nurse that had come in.

Looking up at Zim, Dib blushed at the small smile before dropping his gaze back down to his lap shyly. "Wh-What do you think they're going to do with me...?" He asked in a quiet voice, his fingers twitching slightly against the others hand as they waited.

Still smiling, Zim looked down at their hands. "I don't know, but whatever they do, it will be to get you better..." He looked back up at Dib again. "So there's no need for you to worry about it." He squeezed Dib's hand back for reassurance.

Wilting a bit in his spot, Dib sighed. "I hope so..." He entwined his fingers with Zim's better, playing with the Irken's fingers a bit now as he waited uneasily. Then, tracing a heart lazily across Zim's hand, he tried to keep his mind off of what they planned on doing with him once the nurse returned.

Walking back into the room a few minutes later, the young nurse looked at the nurse who'd taken her place. "Alright, I'm back now. Thank you for taking over while I was gone." She said as she went to take a seat once the other nurse had left. "Well, I had a word with the charge nurse, so everything will be fine. He'll be seeing the doctors soon, and they will discuss what the best course of action should be. It may just be a case of switching you to a better suited antibiotic." She smiled at Dib, hoping that news would lift his spirits some.

"If I can even keep it down..." Dib sighed again, losing his sense of balance and slumping forward up against Zim.

"Oh, not to worry. It will probably be given to you intravenously."

Looking back at Dib suddenly when he slumped against him, Zim gave him a small rub on the arm in an attempt to comfort him.

Dib's eyes snapped wide open at those words however as his face paled somewhat. "Y-You mean w-with one of those huge needles th-they stick in your arm and l-leave there?!" He asked, his voice shaking a bit as the last thing he wanted to deal with was another needle in his arm.

And there you have it for Chapter 76. Until next time~


	77. Chapter 77

Dib Is Sick Chapter 77: Spacing Out

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Eyes widening slightly at Dib's reaction to her words, the young nurse tried to think of what else she could say in order to put his mind more at ease. "O-Oh…Well- " she began before thankfully being cut off by Zim.

"Calm down, Dib. You had one in before, remember?" Zim rubbed both Dib's arms gently with his hands.

His body beginning to tremble a bit at the thought of them putting another one of those needles in his arms, Dib merely remained sitting there tensely, not quite seeming to hear Zim's words as he felt himself falling just to be caught and held up by Zim. He then blinked his eyes a few times in an attempt to shake himself out of it.

Zim snapped his fingers a few times in front of Dib. "Dib? Earth calling to Dib..." he looked over at the nurse for help before looking back at Dib again.

Looking over at Dib worriedly herself, the nurse stood up to press a hand to the boy's forehead. "Oh dear...Is he alright?" she asked, also trying to catch his attention by waving a hand in front of his face. "Dib...Diiib..." she said his name a few times to try and snap him out of his current trance.

Not seeming to respond at first, all Dib could do for several long moments was stare off into space with wide eyes before blinking them slowly when he realized Zim and the nurse were both trying to get his attention. "Hmmm? Wh-What?" he sent Zim a confused look as though he had completely forgotten about what they had just been talking about less than a minute or so ago.

Zim looked back at him just as confused. "What's wrong? You completely spaced out on us just now." he said before reaching forward to feel his forehead for himself.

Bringing a hand up to press to his head, Dib seemed to slump a bit in his spot at those words. "I-I did?" he asked in an equally confused voice before bringing up his free hand to wipe the sleep out of one of his eyes. "S-Sorry...I-I don't remember though..." he said before looking about the room as though it were the first time he had ever even seen it. "M-Maybe I'm just tired still..." he then said in a somewhat exhausted sounding voice.

"Uhhmm...Okaayy...Well, you did only just wake up...But are you sure it's not just the IV freaking you out?"

"I-I don't know...Maybe..." Dib said before leaning in to press up against Zim and close his eyes.

"Well, whatever it is, it's not a good sign that you can't remember. Hopefully the doctor will be in any minute now to examine you." the nurse said before placing both her hands on his face to check and make sure he wasn't getting worse.

Still looking a little bit confused, Zim put his arms around Dib.

"Hmm...Well, you aren't running a temperature at the moment..." the nurse took her hands away from his face.

"Mmm..." Dib pulled back from her touch a bit to hide away in Zim's chest. "My head hurts...Can you turn down the lights in here?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably against Zim.

"Alright." the nurse adjusted the lights in the room so they weren't as bright as before and then took her seat again.

It wasn't until right then that a doctor peered into the room, holding a folder in one arm. "I'm here to see…" he looked down at his files and then up at Dib. "…Dib Membrane?" he wanted to make sure he was addressing the correct patient before entering the room.

"Yes, yes. He's in here." the nurse waved him in before gesturing to Dib.

Entering the room, the doctor then approached the bed Dib was in. "Ah, yes. Hello, Dib." he smiled before shuffling through his folder for something. "We're terribly sorry for the long wait, but we were waiting to get your X-rays back." he said, pulling out said X-ray and holding it up to the light. "As it would seem from the X-ray we took of you, you have quite a bit of fluid built up around your lungs currently, and I'm willing to bet more has built up over the past 24 hours or so." he said before lowering the X-ray. "As such, we will need to get you on an antibiotic as soon as possible and hopefully your body will be able to gradually get rid of the fluid by itself." he said as he returned the X-ray back to its folder for safe keeping.

"B-But what if it doesn't...?" Dib asked in a quiet voice, staring down at the covers now.

"Well, if that happens, we can do one of two procedures to remove the liquid ourselves. It will just depend on how much liquid was actually in there to begin with though. But not to worry. You're young. I'm certain your body will more than likely respond well to the medication and start fighting off the infection before you know it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just go and get one of the nurses to bring in the new antibiotic for you." the doctor said with a smile before turning to leave the room so he could have a word with one of the nurses.

Zim gave Dib an encouraging rub on the back. "...Well…At least they're going to actually do something now." he said, trying to look on the bright side of things.

Still slightly nervous about having them give him another IV, Dib found himself pressing closer to Zim as though for protection.

Zim looked down at Dib. "Hey, don't worry. You had one in before, and it's going to help you." he smiled at the other reassuringly.

Peeking his eyes up at Zim, Dib then turned his attention to another nurse entering the room with the new medication for him before instantly hiding his face back in Zim's shirt.

The new nurse leaned over Dib. "Hello, Dib. I'm going to need you to hold out your arm for me for just a moment, and then I'll have this over with quickly for you." she said, able to sense his nervousness in that moment.

Looking back and forth between Dib and the two nurses in the room now, Zim then looked down at Dib once again and gave him a small rub on the back.

"I think he's afraid of needles." the young nurse said to the other nurse.

"Oh, well, this won't hurt all that much at all, Dib." the other nurse said, moving in to carefully take one of his arms and hold it out for him. "Now, just hold this arm still, okay?" she said, preparing the needle. "It's just going to be a small poke and a slight pinch, then it will be done." she promised as she went to go and insert the needle into his arm.

Eyes widening as he watched with curiosity as she put the needle into Dib's arm, Zim hugged Dib a little tighter to himself while still rubbing a hand on his back soothingly.

Gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes tightly shut as the nurse positioned the needle where it needed to be in his arm, Dib squirmed uncomfortably against Zim a bit.

"And...There we go. All done." the nurse made sure the bag was hooked up properly before checking Dib's arm again to make sure the needle was in properly as well. "Call me if there are any problems at all." she then said before turning to leave the room.

Zim's eyes, meanwhile, remained completely glued to where the needle had gone into Dib's arm.

"Mmm..." Dib let out a small whine, not at all happy about having another needle in his arm as he squirmed against Zim even more, trying to get comfortable again. "O-Ow..." he whimpered slightly, this IV feeling even more uncomfortable than the last.

"Perhaps you should lie down and lay your arm straight for a bit, Dib. It may help a little." the young nurse suggested, hoping her advice would help him relax some despite the obvious discomfort he was in.

And there you have it for Chapter 77. Until next time~


	78. Chapter 78

Dib Is Sick Chapter 78: Distractions

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Deciding to listen to the nurse and do as he was told, Dib gave up on trying to get comfortable any other way as he rolled back over onto his back so his head was resting in Zim's lap now. Finding that even this wasn't helping so much in the long run however, it wasn't long before he was back to shifting about uncomfortably, causing Zim's attention to be drawn back down towards him.

Looking down at Dib on his lap now, Zim decided to fiddle around with a lock of his hair for a while before giving him a small playful tap on the forehead with one of his fingers.

Shifting his gaze up to look at Zim, Dib blinked at the small tap, a part of him tempted to take the other's hand and pull that finger into his mouth.

Smiling a bit at the look Dib was giving him, Zim then shifted his gaze down to look at the IV for a moment, eyes moving from the bag and down the tube leading into Dib's arm.

Following Zim's gaze to the IV tube inserted into his arm, Dib flinched before shifting his gaze away to anything else in the room that he could find, trying to take his mind off of the needle currently digging into his skin, making his arm nearly go numb.

Drawing his attention back to Dib again once he had flinched, Zim was tempted to ask him what it felt like to have that in his arm but pushed that urge aside in case he didn't want to talk about it. Looking down at him again, he then played around with a lock of his hair.

Lifting his gaze back up to look at Zim again once he started playing around with his hair again, Dib sighed and let his eyes slip closed to enjoy the other's fingers weaving in and out of his hair comfortingly.

Continuing to gently run his fingers through Dib's hair, Zim then tilted his head to one side and rested it in one hand supported by his elbow pressed against his lap beside Dib's head, moving a finger of his other hand over the skin of Dib's forehead and spelling out Dib's name in Irken letters.

Trying to watch the finger as it worked, Dib blinked his eyes up at Zim again after a moment. "Hmmm? Wh-What does that spell?" he asked, unfamiliar with the Irken lettering.

Zim smirked. "Your name, just in Irk- I mean...a different kind of lettering..." he used his finger again to spell out the word "Irken" this time in English.

"O-Oh..." Dib reached up a hand to pull down Zim's arm and trace something out on his own skin. "How do I spell your name in Irken?" he asked with his finger, intrigued by the idea of learning how to write in Irken.

"Hm?" Zim blinked down at him. "Oh." he took Dib's hand and slowly spelled out "Z-i-m" in Irken lettering.

Paying careful attention to how Zim spelled out his name in Irken, Dib then hesitantly attempted to spell it back to him in Irken once Zim has shown him once, accidentally messing up on at least one of the letters however.

"Heh…" Zim shook his head and smiled, taking Dib's hand again to spell his name out for him a second time, slowly writing each letter carefully so Dib would remember it.

Paying even closer attention to how Zim spelled it this time around before making another attempt at spelling it out himself, Dib this time did it correctly, if not a bit sloppily, and traced a heart around the name afterwards. Then, smiling up at Zim, he looked for conformation from the other that he had done it correctly this time.

Smiling back at Dib, Zim took his arm and wrote, "That was perfect!" followed by a smiley face. "I could teach you Irken lettering." he then added afterwards, a part of him hoping Dib would take him up on that offer.

"Irken...lettering...? Are there a lot?" Dib asked, a little intimidated by the idea of trying to learn a whole other writing system. He had seen the lettering before but never understood what any of it meant.

"Yes, it's extremely complicated..." Zim smirked jokingly and shook his head. "Nah, you won't find it difficult, though there are a few extra letters." he said, trying not to scare Dib off from the challenge.

"E-Extra letters? H-How many are there then?" Dib asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Uhhmm...29, so only three more than in your alphabet."

"Oh...Would it be easier if we used an actual piece of paper then? Or would you rather we just continued to do it on each others' arms until I'm able to leave the hospital?"

"Hmm? You mean now?...Well, I meant after you leave the hospital, but we could do it now." Zim reached into his PAK to search around for his school notebook, smiling once he found it in there and pulling it out along with a pen. "Mmkayy…Hold on a-" he muttered to himself and scribbled something onto a fresh piece of paper before then holding it up in front of Dib. "Done!" he said before showing the other that he had written the entire Irken alphabet down with a human letter translation under each one, the three extra letters meaning: sh, ch and ph.

Taking the notebook from Zim and studying each of the letters closely, Dib then looked back at the Irken and reached out to take the other's arm. Then, running through the list for the letters that he wanted, he carefully spelled out "I love you" in Irken on the disguised alien's arm before considering something. Then in English, he asked, "Do Irkens have different letters for capitalized and lowercase letters?"

Zim was still smiling a little from what Dib had written on his arm in Irken just then. "Hmm?...Oh, no." he took Dib's arm to write again. "Irkens don't have such a strange rule for writing, so the letters always look the same."

Pulling back his arm to look at curiously, Dib then returned his gaze back up to look at Zim and smile. "But you do have punctuations, right?" he asked, wanting to learn everything he could about the other's language and writing system.

And there you have it for Chapter 78. Until next time~


	79. Chapter 79

Dib Is Sick Chapter 79: A Taste of Irken Culture

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Excited to see Dib taking an interest in his species' culture, Zim couldn't help but answer back rather enthusiastically. "Yes! Such amazing punctuation we have…Uhm…" He grabbed the notebook to write the small symbols for Irken punctuation out along with their translation.

Tilting his head to one side, Dib watched Zim work on translating all the punctuations he could think of in that moment into Irken punctuations.

Finishing by drawing the Irken symbol at the very top of the page, Zim then handed it back to Dib.

Dib looked at the Irken symbol, then back at Zim, then back at the symbol again. "It kind of looks like you when you're not wearing your disguise." he wrote out on the other's arm, reaching under the covers to retrieve the Zim doll so he could compare it to the paper. "Except not as cute..." his eyelids fell half lidded.

Blinking wide eyes open at Dib's remark, Zim blushed and frowned, poking his tongue out a little at the other for that comment.

Seeing Zim stick his tongue out at him, Dib glared a bit back at the other before sticking out his own tongue and hugging the Zim doll close, a pout on his face now.

Smirking at Dib's reaction, Zim wrote a message on his arm with a finger again. "Now THAT was cute." he smiled back at Dib teasingly.

Pulling his arm back to glower at Zim, Dib then hid his face behind the Zim doll, his cheeks a bright red now.

Just staring at him confused for a few seconds, Zim tilted his head to one side before then just rolling his eyes and picking up the notebook to doodle in for a bit.

Peeking out from behind the doll to see what it was Zim was doing, his cheeks a light pink color still, Dib slowly lowered it down all the way to just watch the other draw undisturbed for a few minutes. Then, finally letting his curiosity get the best of him, he scooted back in a little closer to try and see what the Irken was drawing in his notebook.

Having drawn a rough doodle of the planet Irk and the word 'Irk' in Irken lettering under it, along with some other scribbles, Zim shifted his view to Dib momentarily before looking down at the page again. "Still mad?" he wrote in English for the other.

Flinching a bit at the question, Dib pulled away a bit before shaking his head slowly, still holding the Zim doll close, a small blush remaining plastered across his face.

Looking over at Dib and smiling, Zim then looked back down at the paper before writing out the words 'Zim and Dib' in Irken. "Can you guess what that says?" he wrote in English next to it, an arrow pointing to the Irken words in question.

Perking a bit at the question, Dib then leaned in to get a better look at the alien lettering. Reading each letter carefully, he quickly identified the lettering for his own name before then taking the pen from Zim and writing out his own name in English under the Irken lettering. Looking back at the rest of it, he then, after a moment of consideration, wrote out the rest in English, really only guessing that it was their two names together.

Zim took the pen back from Dib. "Wow, you're catching on fast, Dib-thing!" he wrote, followed by a smiley face with antennas on it.

Smiling at the small, alien smiley face, Dib then took the pen from Zim again to draw his own smiley face right down next to it, though with glasses and his signature scythe lock. He then drew little hearts surrounding the two smileys.

Blushing a bit and looking to the side, Zim couldn't help but smile widely at that and let a small giggle escape him as he tried to put on a straight face again.

Looking back at the way Zim had written their names in Irken, Dib then used the pen to write out their names again under the two smileys.

Looking down at what Dib had written in Irken, Zim then looked up at Dib and nodded, signaling that he'd written their names out well.

Smiling before shifting his gaze to the small doodle of Zim's home planet the other had made earlier, Dib then used the pen to write out something underneath the doodle. "Tell me about your home planet." he wrote, nuzzling into the covers to get more comfortable.

Looking up at Dib after reading the question, Zim then took the pen from him to write in his reply. "It's huge, much bigger than Earth. There are no plants there, and it never rains or snows; just always the same every single day."

After reading the other's response back to him, Dib took the pen back from Zim. "Is there anything organic on it at all?" he asked, finding it hard to imagine such a planet.

"Well...No, not really. That's why it felt so weird coming here for the first time. Your planet is covered in plants!"

"B-But what about other planets? Don't other planets have anything organic on them? Or is ours the only one?"

"Well...There was one planet that I remember was pretty much like an Earth jungle, but all over it! And a few other planets have some organic stuff on them, but not on Irk. But that's okay because most of the ingredients that go into Irken foods come from many different planets." he explained, hoping he wasn't confusing the other now.

And there you have it for Chapter 79. Until next time~


	80. Chapter 80

Dib Is Sick Chapter 80: Snacks

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

A little confused by the others explanation, Dib couldn't help but tilt his head to the side slightly at the Irken's words to him. "I thought Irkens only ate snacks though. At least, that's all I ever saw you eating at lunch during school." He wrote, not understanding how their food could be made from organic materials when they didn't even have anything of the sort on their own home planet to begin with.

"Yesss…But how do you think the snacks are MADE though? And yes, Irkens only eat snacks...I'm going to miss Irken snacks. I'm already starting to run out of them!"

"Well, if they're made from different kinds of plants from different planets, wouldn't Earth snacks be basically the same thing as Irken snacks?"

"No way! You can't beat the amazingness of Irken snacks! But I'll try a few more Earth snacks when I need too. That choco-whatever stuff was okay."

"Chocolate. And I'm certain there are lots of Earth snacks you'll enjoy if you just give them a try. Have you even tried eating any other snacks in all the time you've been here? Most anything with sugar in it is probably alright for you to eat."

"I once tried waffles that Gir made ages ago. They were good until he decided to add some extra ingredients into them." Zim shuddered at the memory. "You'll have to show me some more snacks to try when you're better though." He pointed at the human as though making a commitment for him to said task.

Remembering that time he had spied on Zim just to see the other bring up everything he had eaten that morning, Dib cringed slightly himself. "W-Well, waffles aren't really snack food. So you can't say Irken snacks are better than Earth snacks until you've at least tried more of them. I'll bet you'd like cakes and brownies and other really sweet treats made on Earth though." He wrote to the other, doodling a few of said pastry items onto the paper they'd been drawing on earlier.

"Yeah, well we'll see. I'll have to be careful still. I've eaten a few things on this planet that have made me pretty sick in the past, but most of that was from the school cafeteria."

"Cafeteria food doesn't count as snack food either...What you need to eat are foods that are considered unhealthy for humans."

"Yeah, anything sweet and loaded with sugar will do...What snacks do you like then?"

"Hmm? Oh...Well...Actually, now that you mention it, I don't really know...I-I never really ate all too many sweets growing up, though I guess I have a preference for chocolate things like brownies and fudge. B-But that doesn't mean I'm opposed to eating other flavors too, like vanilla. I-I do tend to eat a lot of saltier snacks though."

"Hmm…To be honest, I'm kind of looking forward to trying a whole new range of snacks. You know, my favorite snack from Irk was made out of three different plants, all from different planets."

"Oh yeah? What was it?"

Zim looked thoughtful for a minute before taking the pen from Dib again. "It was like a pack full of weirdly-shaped, purple and pink squishy thingies...They were good." He wrote, trying to draw out what they looked like on the paper.

"So they were like some kind of fruity, berry-like snack? Or were they more like candy?"

"I don't know. I've not eaten fruit; too watery. Maybe if you tried one you'd know. I have some left over back at the base."

"B-But I thought you were running out of Irken snacks...I-I don't want to make you run out faster..."

"They will run out eventually anyways, so it's fine if you'd like to try a few things. It may be the only chance you get to try 'alien' food."

"But they're your favorite and you should eat them."

"Ah, come on, Dib. One won't hurt." Zim drew a small smiley face on the paper next to his words. "I don't eat that much anyw-" He quickly stopped and crossed that out immediately. "I mean...I'm sure I'll find plenty of Earth foods that I'll like." He tried to send the other a more sincere look now, not wanting the boy to worry about him.

Dib sighed at those words and the others attempt to cover up what he had really been about to say. "That's what you say now...I'm not saying you shouldn't try Earth snacks, but isn't there some way you can get Irken snacks from OTHER planets?" He asked, a part of him worried that the Earth snacks wouldn't be enough to meet Zim's dietary needs.

"Hmm...Well, I am still in contact with a Vortian prisoner who always sends me technology. Perhaps he might know where I can pick some up from...Or there is another Irken I know who I'm pretty sure would personally bring me some snacks himself. That idiot would do ANYTHING I tell him to."

"Hmmm? One of your friends then?"

"Pff… Heh, no! Just someone I've known since we were smeets: Invader Skoodge. I find him a little annoying, but I bet if I asked him to buy me a voot-load of snacks and bring them to my base, he'd go right ahead and do it...Well, assuming he's still alive, that is."

"S-Still alive?" Dib looked up at Zim with some concern on his face. "D-Did something bad happen to him?" He asked, Zim's rather lax demeanor making him feel just a tad bit uncomfortable, given their current conversation.

And there you have it for Chapter 80. Until next time~


	81. Chapter 81

Dib Is Sick Chapter 81: Accusations

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Hardly giving Dib's question any thought at all really, Zim merely waved it off after a brief moment of consideration. "Hmmm...Well...After my Tallest sent him to the deadly planet, Blorch, probably with the intention of getting rid of him, he somehow managed to conquer it...Must have been an easy mission after all." he half mumbled to himself before looking away with a none too impressed look on his face. "...But anyways, my leaders have been trying to get rid of him since. He just keeps coming back somehow though." he then shrugged it off as though what he'd just written to the other was a common, everyday conversation topic on his planet.

"O-Oh...W-Well, I guess you should be hoping he's still alive then if you plan on asking him to bring you stuff."

"Meh..." Zim looked away to the side for a moment before noticing the expression currently on Dib's face. Not wanting to come across as uncaring, he then sighed and continued writing. "Yeah...Well, I'm sure he's fine. He always seems to be anyway." he wrote in an attempt to put Dib's mind more at ease about it.

Dib merely dropped his gaze back down to his lap a little uneasily though. "Do you...want him to die too then?" he asked, finding it difficult to believe that Zim would want one of his own to die when he himself had worked for so long to protect everybody on his own home planet, no matter how annoying or just plain mean they had been to him in the past.

"What? Nooo. He may be a bit of a pain, but I wouldn't go as far as actually 'wanting' him dead. That's just a bit extreme." Zim turned his attention back on Dib, looking at him a bit confused now as a result of that question.

"So then...You don't hate him? Because the way you talked about him...is kind of the way you used to talk about me when we first met...I thought...that all you wanted was for me to die..."

"..." Zim just blinked and held the pencil against the paper for a moment until he could find the words to write back to him. "Whuh? Oh come on!...I probably just...Eh...come across that way... I don't know." he wrote, starting to feel uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was heading in now.

"...You were always angry whenever I survived one of your schemes to take over the world..."

Letting out a small, whiney noise and pouting, Zim went to write back another response, now feeling extremely uncomfortable with their current conversation. "Ugh! Diiib! Don't bring this up again!" he ended his sentence with a less than happy looking frowny face.

"But it's true! You even called me a little cockroach the last time I was in class a week or so ago!"

"I did?" Zim looked off to the side as though in deep thought before bringing a hand up to his mouth in an attempt to stop himself from laughing but failing. Looking at the rather unimpressed look Dib was sending back to him, he then took the pencil again and wrote, "Yes, that's terrible..." before stifling yet another small giggle.

Snatching the pencil back out of Zim's hand, Dib angrily began writing back another response. "Yes, you did! And it's not funny, Zim! "he glared at Zim, a pout on his own face now.

Holding his hands up defensively when he sensed the other getting upset again, Zim then cautiously took back the pencil tightly clutched in Dib's hand. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I only found that funny because I know for sure that I wouldn't call you that now." he tried to offer the other back a small smile.

No longer in the mood to talk with the other however, Dib could only continue to glower at Zim before turning over in the bed.

Throwing his hands up in defeat at that reaction, Zim just frowned over at Dib from behind, annoyed that he'd now just gone back to the same mood he'd been in before they'd started writing and before he'd bought up that subject in their conversation. Remaining sitting there frowning for a short while, he then returned back to doodling in his note pad again.

Dib didn't turn back over to see what Zim was drawing this time however, rather looking down just to notice the Zim doll near him. Reaching down to pick up the doll, he stared at it for a short moment before glaring and throwing it back behind himself, the doll unintentionally hitting Zim in the head.

Jumping a bit and dropping his notebook at the doll hitting him, Zim turned again to frown at Dib. "Hey!" he grabbed the doll. "...Now you're just being ridiculous, Dib." he said before shaking it at the other's turned backside.

"Hmm?" Dib turned back over to send Zim a confused look before glaring at the other for yelling at him for nothing. "What are you talking about, Zim? I haven't done anything to you." he said, not even realizing that the doll had hit Zim when he'd thrown it.

Holding the doll up in one hand for Dib to see and pointing to his head with the other hand, Zim pouted back at the boy. "Liiees! You threw this at Zim!" he said in an all too accusing manner.

"What?! No, I didn't!" Dib narrowed his eyes on Zim for accusing him of throwing the doll at him.

Zim sent Dib a rather unimpressed look. "Then why did it fly towards me and hit me on the head? Huh? Huh!?" he shook the doll a second time.

"I don't know! Maybe it just doesn't like you!"

"...That's stupid...Dolls can't fly!"

"Oh yeah?! Well...Y-You're stupid too!" Dib said, unable to come up with a better comeback.

"Nuh-uh! You're the one who brought up that stupid thing in the conversation we had a few minutes ago! It was almost like you wanted to start this! And then you go and throw something at me! Whhhy!?" Zim raised his hands up melodramatically, as though insulted by the fact the other wouldn't just admit to it already.

And there you have it for Chapter 81. Until next time~


	82. Chapter 82

A/N: Happy Thanksgiving, you guys! :) Hope you all enjoy a great one! And please enjoy this Thanksgiving Day update! ^^

Dib Is Sick Chapter 82: Pillow Fight

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Not even responding back to Zim's accusations this time as he felt just a tad bit hurt and angry the other wouldn't believe him, Dib rather reached back behind himself to grab his pillow and smack Zim square in the face with it.

"AH!" Zim spluttered, pushing the pillow away from his face before adjusting his wig and glaring daggers at the other, reaching out a hand to grab another pillow to hold it up threateningly in case the other decided to try and thwack him again.

Rather than hitting Zim a second time however, Dib merely stuck his tongue out at him.

Lowering his pillow, Zim blinked at that gesture and frowned before then poking his own tongue out at Dib himself.

Taking the opportunity when Zim was distracted, Dib smacked him a second time in the face with his pillow.

"Mmph!" Zim accidentally bit down on his tongue, smacking the pillow away and bringing a hand up to his mouth. "...Oww..." he glared, taking the pillow again and then smacking Dib back with it.

Wincing at having the pillow hit him in the face, Dib blinked his eyes open only to realize his glasses had fallen off, leaving him virtually blind now. Nonetheless, he retaliated again by swinging his own pillow back at the blurry red and green figure.

Holding up his pillow to shield himself with, Zim then swung it at Dib again. "HA!...Pathetic." he smirked when the other wasn't able to score another hit with him.

Not even seeing the pillow coming at him this time around, Dib was hit smack in the face, causing him to lose his balance and fall back on the bed, eyes snapping wide open a split second later when he heard a loud cracking noise that could only belong to his glasses shattering beneath his weight.

"..." Zim blinked wide eyes at the cracking noise, suddenly realizing what it was a split second later. "Uhm...Oops." he sank down a bit in his spot.

Wasting no time at all in sitting up quickly to frantically search for his glasses, Dib blindly began feeling all around him for them.

Spotting the now broken glasses before Dib could locate them, Zim slowly brought down a hand to grab them and hold them up to see exactly how damaged they were. "...Uh..." he drew the other's attention back to where he was holding them.

Snapping his gaze up to where Zim was holding them, Dib then instantly snatched them out of the Irken's hand to have a look at for himself, finding the frame to be bent and at least one of the two lenses to be completely shattered. Obviously upset, he weakly hit Zim with his pillow again.

Shutting his eyes tightly and just letting Dib hit him this time, Zim then opened up his eyes again and looked at him apologetically. "...I can fix those...But I'll have to go home in order to do so." he offered, hoping he hadn't upset Dib too much with their roughhousing.

Dib didn't respond or even look back up at the other however as he just remained staring down at his broken glasses before turning back over onto his side to face away from Zim again and pull the covers up over his head.

Rolling his eyes at that reaction, Zim decided he'd ask again in a minute. Sitting himself at the edge of the bed and letting his legs hang over the side, he then swayed them a little as he sat there in silence.

Sniffling wetly, Dib remained hidden beneath the covers.

Knowing the other was really upset with him and nothing he could say to him would help at this point in time, Zim bowed his head and sighed in defeat before turning back to look over at Dib again. "Dib, it'll only take me half an hour at most if I take your glasses back to my house to fix." he said before taking the glasses and standing up. "If you really don't want me to go, then say something now. Otherwise, I'll be back in a short while..." he said, a part of him hoping the human would at least respond back to him in some way before he left.

Dib remained silent as Zim got up to leave however before finally breaking down under the covers when he was pretty certain the other had left him.

Putting the glasses into his PAK, Zim left the ward quietly and made his way out of the hospital.

The young nurse, meanwhile, stood from her chair to approach Dib cautiously. "Aw, Dib, he said that he'd be back shortly..." she said in a weak attempt to calm him down some.

Sobbing softly to himself, Dib could only curl in on himself underneath the covers at those words.

Deciding that she'd just have to let Dib get on with it, the nurse sighed out shakily before taking a seat back down in the chair, looking over at the door where Zim had just left in the hopes he wouldn't be gone too long.

Returning to his base, Zim took the elevator down to his lab and started the repairs to Dib's glasses. Using the technology he would usually use to fix broken weaponry or voot parts during emergencies, he easily managed to replace the broken lens and fix Dib's glasses within a matter of minutes before heading back out again to make his way back to the hospital, letting out a heavy sigh as he left his base once again.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Dib had by now only calmed slightly into a light sleep, tears still slipping from his eyes as he slept soundly.

Entering the room where Dib was being monitored, Zim looked over at where Dib was still under the covers before glancing at the young nurse and placing the fixed glasses on the table beside Dib's bed. Taking a seat at another chair in the room, he then looked down to his lap, shifting his feet rather uncomfortably.

Looking back up when Zim entered the room again, the nurse watched him as he took a seat in a chair positioned against the back wall before looking back down at Dib and then up at Zim again. "I think he fell asleep while you were gone." she said in a quiet voice so as not to disturb him too much.

And there you have it for Chapter 82. Until next time~


	83. Chapter 83

Dib Is Sick Chapter 83: Fixed

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Looking up at the nurse when she broke the silence with a hushed whisper, Zim responded back in an equally muted voice. "Oh...Did he say anything when I left?" he asked, thinking that perhaps the other had just been waiting for him to leave before saying anything in regards to what had happened.

The nurse could only shake her head slowly however. "No...He was crying under the covers for a while though. I think he just cried himself to sleep right after you left. B-But don't worry. I'm certain things will be better once he wakes up." she tried to assure him despite the tension that no doubt still hung in the air from their earlier argument.

Doubting that very much, Zim just looked back down at his lap gloomily in silence.

The nurse sent Zim a sad look before looking back down at Dib and sighing.

After several silent minutes, Dib finally shifted slightly underneath the covers, turning over in the bed, his scythe lock poking out from beneath the blankets. "Mmm...Zim..." he murmured quietly in his sleep.

Seeming to perk up a bit at hearing the other say his name all of a sudden, Zim looked over in Dib's direction again before realizing that he was still asleep.

Curling in on himself a bit in his sleep, Dib sniffled wetly, a few stray tears slipping down his face. "...Zim..." he whimpered softly in his sleep. "...Don't leave...You promised...You promised to stay..." he sobbed gently to himself, pulling his knees up to his chest underneath the covers.

Getting up onto his feet after a moment's consideration, Zim walked over to where Dib was sleeping and gave him a light shake. "Dib..." he attempted to rouse the other from his sleep.

Jolting back awake, Dib jumped at the small shake and sat up with wide eyes, panting as he looked around the room before bringing his blurred gaze back onto Zim. Seeing the other, he then shrank back a bit, away from the Irken's touch, looking about ready to break down again at this point as he just stared back up at the alien.

Looking back at him wide-eyed, Zim then looked aside suddenly, feeling rather awkward. "Uhm..." he picked up the glasses. "I fixed your glasses." he held them out for Dib to see. "See, good as new..." he tried to offer the boy a small smile with his words, though it came across as rather weak.

Wasting no time at all in clinging to Zim, Dib hid his face away in the other's shirt and sobbed gently. "You left me here all alone, and you promised to stay no matter what!" he exploded in an array of emotion.

"...I-I know...Sorry." Zim ran a hand over the top of Dib's head, looking to the side and feeling horrible with himself now.

"If you knew then why didn't you stay?!" Dib's sobs grew harder.

"Well...It was either that or leave you blind for the rest of your stay here...I don't know, but...You didn't say anything when I asked if you wanted me to stay...Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you wouldn't have stayed even if I HAD said anything! I just know it! You wanted to leave! You wanted to get away from me!"

"What?! No, that's stupid. The only reason I left was to fix your glasses. Why would you think that?"

"B-Because you were m-mad at me..." Dib whimpered out in a shaky voice.

"No, I wasn't. You just...seemed to get really upset all of a sudden. I thought you were mad at Zim."

"Because you accused me of hitting you with that doll on purpose when I didn't!" Dib sank down in the covers a bit, crying still.

"But!..." Zim sighed. "Oh, never mind...Can't we just forget it?" he asked, not wanting to continue fighting with Dib any longer.

Blinking up at Zim, Dib only continued to sniffle wetly. "Y-You're the one who started it..." he said, bringing a hand up to rub up under his eyes.

Wanting to object, Zim frowned but just let out another sigh instead.

Breathing shakily, Dib finally dropped his gaze back down to the bed covers as it was hurting him to look at Zim and to even sit up as he slowly went to lie back in the bed again. "...I just want to go home..." he whimpered out softly for what was probably the millionth time in 48 hours. He didn't want to stay in a place that Zim was going to leave him in.

"Yes, I know you do, but just think..." Zim put the glasses back over Dib's eyes. "You won't have to stay here that much longer." he said before sending the human a more sincere smile now.

Shaking in the bed, Dib pulled the covers up more at those words. "I-It hurts being here..." he said before looking around the room again, cringing when his eyes landed back on the IV in his arm.

"Hurts?" Zim sent him a confused look. "Hurts you how?" he asked, his smile falling away as he didn't quite understand what the other meant by that.

And there you have it for Chapter 83. Until next time~


	84. Chapter 84

Dib Is Sick Chapter 84: Sicker

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Lips quivering momentarily at Zim's question, Dib struggled to keep his voice steady as he went to reply back to the other. "I-I just feel s-sicker here...I d-don't like it...I-I don't want t-to stay here anymore..." he broke down all over again.

Sitting himself near Dib and scooting in closer, Zim looked at him worriedly. "I...I don't know what to say, Dib...I don't want you to have to stay here either." he said, uncertain what else he could do to comfort the human.

"Wh-Why can't they just l-let me go home already...?" Dib's head found Zim's lap as he buried his face into it and curled up in the bed. "Th-This place makes me dizzy..." he then whimpered in a muffled voice as he tried not to let his gaze wander anymore.

"I don't know...I'm sure they have a reason...Maybe it's because you need the IV medicine..." Zim tried to calm Dib by putting a hand to the side of his face.

Dib let his eyes slip closed at the feel of Zim's hand softly caressing his cheek. "...But it's just making me feel worse..." he said in a voice just barely above a whisper.

"Well...You might feel that way, but maybe it's really making you better...?"

"...I don't feel like I'm getting any better..." Dib said, curling in on himself a bit.

Zim sighed. "Just give it time. You won't feel like this forever. The medicine will work." he said with a confident nod, though a part of him was starting to doubt its effectiveness.

"Well, I wish it would work faster!" Dib snapped, getting upset now. "This stupid IV is killing my arm..." he then whimpered, no longer comfortable having a huge needle just stuck in his arm like that.

"Mmmph...I don't know, Dib-thing...I want it to work faster too, but...You'll just have to wait." Zim wiped away Dib's tears with his thumb.

Dib sniffled wetly as Zim wiped the tears out of his eyes. "A-And you'll wait with me...?" he lifted his head slightly to stare up at the other with big, tear-filled eyes.

"Yes! Just like Zim told you before." Zim nodded his head before smiling down at him reassuringly.

Dib let his eyelids slip halfway closed as he stared up at Zim. "...O-Okay..." he slumped against Zim a bit more.

Happy to see Dib had calmed a little, Zim moved both his hands to Dib's hair, running his fingers through it and stroking it gently while looking down at him in thought.

Nuzzling into the Irken's lap comfortably, Dib closed his eyes tiredly at the gentle strokes. "Mmmmm...Ziiiiim..." he hummed out in a finally calmer voice.

Zim laughed quietly to himself a bit. "That feels good?" he continued running his fingers gently through Dib's hair.

Dib let out a small content sigh, bordering on a purr. "Mmmhmmm..." he smacked his lips together contently.

Zim smiled. "Heh...Okay." he spread his fingers over the top of Dib's head and gently ran his thumbs in circle motions against his nape.

Shuddering, Dib gasped at the other's ministrations before melting at the Irken's touch.

Continuing to gently massage the top of his head and nape, Zim leaned down to give Dib a small nuzzle to his forehead before moving his fingers against his head now too.

"Mmm...I'm sorry..." Dib murmured quietly, remaining limp in the other's lap.

"Hmm? Sorry about what, Dib?" Zim asked, still massaging his head.

"...About yelling at you earlier..." Dib whimpered out quietly.

"Oh...Forget about it." Zim smiled calmly. "I think I'd be yelling at people much more if I was in your situation." he then said, not wanting Dib to feel guilty about before.

"...I don't like yelling at you though...I don't like making you mad at me..." Dib said, his eyelids wavering slightly as a few stray tears clung to the edges of his eyes.

And there you have it for Chapter 84. Until next time~


	85. Chapter 85

Dib Is Sick Chapter 85: 'Wrong?'

Zim: Sassafrass002

Dib: Me

Beta: Sassafrass002

Warnings: Extreme OOCness

Rating: M

Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Enjoy~ =3

Sending Dib a confused look at his last few words, Zim couldn't help but shake his head slightly at them. "...Then...Why do you yell at Zim...If you don't want to do it?" he asked, a little thrown off guard by what the other had just told him.

"...I-I don't know...I don't know...Maybe there's just something wrong with me...I don't want to lose you, but this keeps on happening..." Dib brought up his hands to wipe at his eyes.

"What? Lose me?" Zim shook his head. "But don't most people not like yelling yet still do it?...I do it, but it doesn't mean I like doing it or anything, so there's nothing wrong with you." he said with a nod, as though to confirm that what he just said made sense.

"But there must be something wrong with me...You're the best thing to ever happen to me and still I yell at you...Even when I don't want to anymore..." Dib was shaking slightly now. "...And you're always so nice to me too..." his voice fell down to a whisper.

Giving him a small poke on the forehead, Zim looked down at him sternly. "Not always, and how can you expect yourself to not be yelling in this situation, hm? The only thing 'wrong' with you is this pneumonia." he said with a nod to himself.

Instinctively swatting at the small poke lightly, Dib then caught the other's hand and pulled it in to nuzzle gently, playing with the Irken's fingers all the while. "I don't think having pneumonia is the only thing wrong with me...I think there are a lot of things wrong with me...Even when I am well..." he hugged the green hand close. He loved the other's skin and just wanted to feel it pressed up against all of his body as he sighed out lightly.

Zim's eyes widened a bit before falling half lidded as Dib nuzzled his hand softly. "...I don't think there's anything wrong with you...In fact, I think you're the most 'right' person I've met on this dirt ball of a planet." he said before moving his thumb gently against the other's cheek.

Blushing a tiny bit, Dib blinked his eyes up a Zim. "E-Even though I'm obsessive compulsive a-and everybody calls me crazy? E-Even though we've..." he trailed off, looking down at the covers and blushing a bright red now, remembering everything they'd done over the past few days.

Zim looked down at him confused. "We've...?" he twirled a hand as though trying to reel the rest of what Dib had been about to say out of him.

Glancing at the nurse momentarily, Dib only continued to play with his fingers nervously before dropping his eyes back down to the covers, blushing an even brighter red now. He couldn't say it in front of her as he fiddled with Zim's fingers silently, having by now tensed up somewhat.

Zim frowned. "What?..." he went silent when he realized what Dib was getting at. "Oh...But what has that got to do with anything?" he asked, not understanding why the other was bringing THAT up all of a sudden.

"W-Well...Y-You don't find it weird that we...Umm...You know..." Dib's face was completely on fire now as he had stopped playing with Zim's fingers, his hands still shaking however. For him, he thought it was weird that he just couldn't get the image out of his head. He couldn't get ZIM out of his head. Every stray thought he had always returned to the Irken now.

"Hmm..." Zim put on a thoughtful face for a moment. "Nope!" he then took Dib by the hands. "So stop getting so worked up. Lots of people on this planet do that, right?" he smiled reassuringly at Dib.

Cheeks a light pink now, Dib blinked his eyes wide open at Zim. "W-Well...Yeah...B-But not with...With..." he glanced back at the nurse a second time, hesitating to say 'alien,' not to mention 'MALE alien.'

Taking Dib's arm to draw out words to him with his finger, Zim frowned again. "But Dib, to me, you're the alien, and I don't feel weird or 'wrong' about it." he wrote out before lifting his gaze back up to stare the other straight in the eyes.

"Y-You don't?" Dib dropped his gaze back down to the covers, his blush never leaving as a small smile graced his face, happy to hear that the other didn't feel weirded out by everything they had been doing over the past 3 or so days.

Placing Dib's hands back in his own, Zim shook his head in response. "No, Zim never makes any wrong decisions." he smiled.

"S-So then what DO you think about it?" Dib asked, curious as to what Zim's response would be.

"Uhmm..." Zim blushed. "...Well..." he looked at the covers. "I think...I...I can't really describe it..." he said after a moment's consideration.

Looking away to the side, Dib blushed also. "W-Well...D-Did you enjoy it? W-Would you want to do it again...? A-And maybe even go a little farther...?" he asked the last part in a quiet whisper.

Looking back up at Dib, Zim's blush darkened. "Uh...Y-Yes, Zim enjoyed it and would do it again...And...Uh..." he just nodded his head slowly in response to Dib's last question.

"O-Oh...Okay then...M-Me too..." Dib began fiddling with the blanket as he said that, although in reality, he was nervous about the idea of going any farther with Zim.

Smiling happily at him, Zim just stared down at Dib before catching view of the nurse out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head a little to see her looking at them in a mixture of confusion and maybe a bit of suspicion, he then became rather paranoid and looked back at Dib again. "Uh...Uh, yes! Zim will be happy to...Uhm...Play badminton with you again, Dib." he squeezed Dib's arm tightly to prompt him to play along.

Not realizing that the nurse was watching them, Dib sent Zim a slightly confused look now. "Huh? Wh-What? You want to play badminton with me?" he sent Zim an odd look.

Zim smacked a hand to his own forehead. "Ughh..." he then grabbed Dib by the arm and wrote him another message with his finger. "Nooo! Did you not see how that nurse was looking at us right then?! Like she knows or something! Just play along!" he wrote out urgently, hoping the other would catch his drift this time around.

And there you have it for Chapter 85. Until next time~


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